The Mind Games of Love
by Akimei the Twisted
Summary: Antonio Perez, the flawless heartbreaker, has a reputation for attracting and crushing women as fast as they could throw themselves at him. No girl had ever managed to get over him after he had played his sick games with their hearts. No girl except Margo Gru, that is, and it seems she's taunting him with a mind game all her own. The only question is, who will win? [martonio]
1. Let The Games Begin

**Hello everyone! I hope you are all having a lovely day, and enjoy the product of my shipping angst. I've been thinking about these two for a while now, and I ran out of beautiful Martonio videos and fanfiction to adore and gush over, so I had to make my own. That's really all there is to say, so without further interuption, I present to you...**

**The Mind Game of Love**

* * *

A low growl of frustration escaped Antonio Perez's lips as he thought over the pestering issue he was presented with, the one thing that kept getting under his skin and attacking his mind.

Not much bothered the suave, wicked, and flawless boy, and what did was a very small amount. Normally, everything was perfect for him. His grades were always the best, there was never a time when his plans weren't successful, and practically every person he had ever met was mere putty in his hands.

But what _did_ bother the boy was the happy giggling of a certain girl sitting at the mall fountain with her sisters, a certain girl named Margo Gru.

He simply did not get why she wasn't depressed. Just a week ago, he had shattered her heart into several tiny pieces, or so he had thought. Margo seemed more carefree and happy then when he had met her. It wasn't right.

He saw her sadness when he started dancing with other girls. He had watched her sit at the table with an irreplaceable expression of heartbreak, so why did she seem so happy now? Had she truly gotten over him and his irresistible charms so quickly? Had he been encased in a block of ice for nothing?

Antonio pushed the thought away. No girl had he had ever been with had ever fully gotten over him. He was and always will be the most perfect boy to walk into any girl's life, including Margo's.

So why wasn't she in a half year depression like all the others?

The boy combed his fingers through his silky black hair as he watched her speedily text on her phone. His eyes narrowed in concentration. Who was she texting? She had told him just days ago that Avery had been away from her phone due to a family vacation, so it had to be someone else. Was it another guy?

"Antony, baby," A voice broke his eyes from the girl, "What are you thinking about?"

Antonio rolled his eyes. He had almost forgot he was on a date with his new victim of the week, Sheila. She was one of the most popular girls in his grade with beautiful tan skin and dark hair; she had an average personality, but she was no Margo.

His thoughts struck him cold in the warm restaurant. Since when had he compared any girl to Margo, whom he had been with for only a few days? He glanced at the glasses wearing girl and then back to Sheila. It was obvious Shelia was better looking. Her long dark hair was definitely better than Margo's light brown locks that she hid away in a ponytail holder that he often thought of swiping away, if for nothing more than to see her reaction.

Again he froze. Since when had he ever thought that? Sure, when he was playing with her heart he had teased and played with her hair, but he had never been serious.

"Antony?" His date snapped her fingers in front of him, "What is so interesting that you can't look at me?"

Antonio snapped his head to the girl, grabbing her hand and tilting her chin to him so that she would not see he was focused on Margo. He was the perfect playboy and he would rather die than ruin his image of never being the one to dump the girl instead of it being the other way around.

"Nothing, darling." He spoke softly in his Spanish accent that made any girl go weak in the knees, "I just have a lot on my mind at the moment what with my father's sudden revelation."

"Aww… poor baby." Shelia frowned as she squeezed his hands, "I understand you'll need some time and space to accept everything that has happened. It must be hard to know that your dad was a super villain behind your back."

"Thank you for understanding, Sheila." He whispered as he faked a small smile.

Inside, he was smirking wickedly. He knew all along that his father was evil, and was actually looking forward to doing something of the sort when he grew older (if playing videogames didn't work out, that is.) Even if he had not known, he doubted Sheila could ever truly understand. Her parents were both accountants, and she'd never gotten in the least bit of trouble. In fact, the only one he could think of who would even somewhat understand was Margo.

Thinking of the girl, his eyes casually drifted over to where she sat. He saw her jump up quickly and tell something to her sisters before giggling and running off. Judging by Edith's disgusted face and the way they had run screaming their father's name, it had to a boy she was going to see.

And that was when Antonio felt the need to go after her. He had no idea why; he never felt the need to bother with any of his exes, but then again, none of his other exes were this happy within such a short time of heartbreak. He wondered if she had met him when they were still together. Girls on the rebound were much easier to get than those who were looking for something special, not that Antonio had ever stooped to such a level to get a girl. He was far too skilled, but many boys had profited from his mind games.

He looked back at his date, "Sheila, I fear I must leave you to attend to personal business." He said softly.

"I understand." She said sympathetically, "Call me when you want to talk, okay?"

"That I will do." He stood from the booth and placed money on the counter, and finished by tapping the girl's nose, "Thank you so much for understanding, Sheila."

As he left, he could see her melt into a puddle before his charms, like the rest of his girlfriends had done so many times before. He smirked as he walked out to casually follow Margo's direction.

_"Tomorrow would be a nice day to dump her. She seems the clingy type."_ He thought, enjoying the mental image of seeing Sheila, one of the most sought after girls in school, heartbroken and betrayed.

It wasn't his favorite part of what he did, but he truly did feel evil as his father when he was able to see their crushed faces. Besides, he didn't like the commitment of a relationship, he preferred the success of getting the girl to fall for you in a matter of seconds to calling each other late at night and buying gifts on a regular basis.

He stopped his thoughts when he heard the sound of Margo's voice coming from the ice cream store.

"Hi, Derek." She said with a goofy smile as she sat down in front of someone Antonio couldn't get a good look at from his position casually leaning against a wall, pretending to look at his phone. He could see the boy had blond shaggy hair and an almost awkward sense of style, dressing in jeans and a white shirt with splatters on it, nothing like Antonio's own ravishing style.

"Mar! It's been way too long. I've missed you." The boy, whose accent was rather… unpleasant to Antonio, reached over and hugged Margo tightly, which she returned.

"I know." She laughed, "I haven't seen you in a month."

_"A month?"_ Antonio thought _"So he didn't catch her on the rebound."_

"I'll go get us some ice cream. Strawberry, right?"

"You know me so well." He heard her playful laugh. After Antonio was sure this "Derek" was gone, he revealed himself by the open window where Margo was seated. She seemed not to notice him until he spoke.

"Hello again, Margo." He spoke whilst looking at his fingernails, "Having fun, are we?"

After the initial shock of seeing him suddenly standing there, Margo groaned, "Go away, Antonio."

"Do you hate me that much?" A smirk grew on his face.

"Was it that obvious?" She gave him a fake smile, "Now leave."

Antonio's smirk grew, "And what kind of gentleman would I be if I left you alone with such an unfashionable, rough looking boy?"

"You are not a gentleman." She seethed, "And for your information, Derek is the sweetest guy I know, not to mention the cutest."

The suave Latino boy's eyes opened in shock, but forced his voice to come out smooth, "Surely he is not cuter than me by the smallest amount, my dear Margo."

"You're right," Margo smirked as she looked at him.

Just as the boy was feeling satisfied, he heard her voice say the words he'd never thought he'd hear.

"He's much cuter than you could ever hope to be." She said smugly.

Antonio played off his surprise as he straightened his posture from leaning on the window sill, seeing the blond he suddenly hated coming back.

"Enjoy your date, Margo." He put on a smirk, "But remember he'll never be the kind of boyfriend I was."

"Well," Margo confidently leaned in closer to him, "Thank goodness for that."

Turning around swiftly, Antonio did not care to give her a response, but he could not block out the laughter and sounds of joy that escaped the pair as he reappeared at the table.

Antonio's brow furrowed in thought. No girl had ever managed to be happy within a week after a betrayal from someone as flawless as he, let alone find another to be happy with, and he was not about to allow Margo to be the first, even if he had to win her back and destroy her all over again.

"Fine then, Margo Gru, if you want to play it that way." He spoke softly to himself with a look of determination, "Let the games of love begin."


	2. New and Old Friends

Margo's heart beat continued to race as she watched her recent ex walk away. She hadn't known where her sudden boost in confidence had come from, but she had actually managed to get Antonio Perez to be surprised, and maybe even jealous.

She couldn't help smiling. Revenge, even a small one such as this, was sweet, even if she had to lie a teency bit.

She had known Derek since she was young. He was her best friend when she was younger aside from her sisters. He had lived in the boys home a few blocks away from the girls place, but they still managed to meet and hang out at the park. He had been adopted a few months before she was, but they still managed to find each other and keep in touch (under the strictest observation from Gru) from time to time, but they never got to see each other much anymore.

While she did she did think he was cute and sweet, she had never even thought of dating him before; they were only good friends, but Antonio didn't need to know that.

She looked up to see her friend coming back with their creamy treats.

"One strawberry ice cream, M'lady." He bowed as he handed her the treat before digging into his own chocolate cone.

Margo laughed, "Why thank you, Sir Derek"

"So what do you want to do today?" Derek leaned back into the plush booth, "Amusement Park? Regular park? Movies? Magic show?"

"Hmm…" Margo thought over his suggestions when an idea, a dark and ingenious idea that her father would be proud of, popped into her mind, "How about we hang out at the mall for a while before hitting the amusement park?"

"Sounds great." The blond smiled broadly as he all but inhaled his ice cream, "You know the mall better than I do, so feel free to play tour guide."

"Great." Margo smiled mischievously as she started to slowly eat the soft serve treat in the hands, "I think I know where to take you first."

"I know that smile, Margo." The boy said teasingly, "What are you scheming in that beautiful brain of yours?"

"I would tell you, but then I would have to kill you." She said jokingly, taking a small bite out of her ice cream.

"Fine," Derek rolled his eyes playfully, "I'll just tickle it out of you later."

"You wouldn't dare." Margo gasped, remembering all the times he had used that awful form of interrogation to make her laugh and spill her thoughts at the same time.

"I think we both know that I would." He smiled as he finished his treat. Margo was secretly fascinated he could eat something so cold so quickly.

Taking one last large bite it of her delicious strawberry soft serve, she looked at him with determination.

"You'll have to catch me first."

And with that, the two were running (and speed walking in front of mall cops) through the massive mall, laughing and shouting as they did so.

Suddenly, Margo couldn't even think of anything but playing with her best friend, not even her plans to get the ultimate revenge on Antonio Perez.

* * *

On top of the growing list of annoyances, Antonio had to place the sight he had seen outside the restaurant window where he was casually plotting Margo's demise at the top. She just _had_ to be teasing him now.

He would never think Margo Gru the type of girl to play chase with someone, let alone her (he nearly gagged) boyfriend, but there she was running to and fro and all over the mall, frequently passing in front of his father's restaurant, which was currently being watched by his Uncle Pepito.

But it was what was happening now that was the worst, he decided. Just as Antonio thought he had seen the last of them, he had left the restaurant just in time to see them sitting at the mall's fountain, the Derek fellow pinning her down on the bench and tickling her sides, making her explode in laughter and joy.

Antonio frowned as he walked the opposite way. Why was it that Margo was so much happier with Derek than she ever was with him? He thought he had taken every step to build up her love for him so much before he crushed it, but he must have missed something.

What would he have to do to be the guy she'd be willing to fall in love with?

He mentally hit himself for sounding like a lovesick puppy. If anyone were to listen to his thoughts, they would assume he had fallen head over heels for Margo instead of plotting to crush her once and for all. It was a shame he would have to actually put effort into it now.

Margo was very smart, and now that she was no longer lovesick for him, she would be much harder to woo, and that task was only made harder with Derek in the way. Yes, if the blond annoyance wasn't there, it would be much easier to play the pitiful boyfriend who was miserable and made a horrible mistake.

But he wasn't so lucky. If he played pitiful, he was likely to be punched or scoffed at, both of which did not suit his needs. Luckily, he was the son of the famous El Macho, and knew how to make a devious and flawless plan when all seemed hopeless since he was a young toddler.

He knew that with a few phone calls and some string pulling, Derek wouldn't be making Margo laugh anymore. It was like he said before:

Girls on the rebound were always easier to get, and since this would be his hardest conquest yet, he was going to have to stoop to chipping her heart away slowly before healing it and shattering it again.

A small smirk crossed his lips as he picked up his cellphone, still hearing Margo's faint laughs come from down the hallway. He ignored the sound and focused on the ringing until it stopped.

"Hello, Stephanie, I need you to find out some information for me about a Derek Phillips and his ex-girlfriend Angel Jones, and bring Angel to the restaurant if you don't mind. Oh, no reason. I'd just like to have a little chat with her. Thank you, bella."

With a triumphant expression, he walked to treat his official starting of the plan with a delicious tray of nachos.


	3. Allies in War

"And that's everything." Margo sighed as she finished telling her friend the embarrassing story about what happened with Antonio to her friend, hoping that he would not judge her for being such an idiot, "So will you help me out or not? I won't force you to if you think it's a bad idea."

"Are you kidding?" Derek looked at her with wide eyes, "That stupid jerk hurt my little Mar! Of course I'm going to help you annihilate his senses with jealousy. And after that, I hope all the other girls he's done this to gang up on him and tear him to shreds."

"Thanks, Derek." Margo hugged her friend of many years, "I wouldn't know what to do without you. You always look out for me."

"Hey, you helped me get over my problems with my ex Latina beauty, Angel, right?" He chuckled as he returned the hug, "So how are we going to drive that little jerk insane with jealousy?"

"Well," Margo started, "It starts out here in the mall. First, we…"

For the next twenty minutes she explained her process of planning to Derek, who had to jot down messy notes on his hand.

"Wait, so why don't we get to keep our photos from the photo booth?" He quirked a brow, "I know you scrapbook that kind of stuff."

"We can take more later." Margo smiled, flattered that he remembered such a small detail about her, "but we need him to see it the tray when we leave in a hurry for our 'date' at the amusement park."

"And why is he following us again?"

"Because us bumping into him will cause curiosity. He already wants to know why I like you so much, so we're our own bait."

Derek nodded, his blond hair bobbing along with him, "Okay, I think I got it."

"Good. If you forget anything, just follow my lead and improvise, okay?"

"Isn't that what I'm best at, Mar?"

Margo just rolled her eyes and playfully hit his chest with her hand.

* * *

"You have a wonderful day as well, Sra." Antonio called to the chef of the family's restaurant as he carried his nachos to his favorite table in the back of the restaurant, his "lucky" table where he brought almost all of his dates before the incident with his father.

Not many people occupied the place now, but with the signs of "New Management and The Same Great Food and Dancing", business wasn't too terrible either. In fact, Uncle Pepito had suspected there would be a large turnout for tonight's Salsa Night. He had tried to convince Antonio to be there to show the young niña's a good time, but Antonio had much to do tonight if he wished to break Margo's heart as quickly as possible.

As he dipped one of his nachos into his family's secret spicy salsa, ha thought over his plans once again. Everything seemed like it would go smoothly if he could get Angel to go along with it. A small smile came to his lips as he thought of it. Of course she would go along with it. He could get any girl to bend to his will.

As if his thoughts had summoned her, a dark haired, tan skinned girl walked through the doors, her emerald eyes searching for someone. Antonio stood and strode over to her smoothly.

"Hola, bella." He greeted her with a smile, "I assume you are Srta. Angel, no?"

"Si," Her Spanish accent leaked as she looked skeptically at him, "Why did you want to talk to me, Antonio?"

"Tell me, senorita, have you heard of a girl named Margo Gru?" Antonio politely allowed her to sit before he did.

"I don't think so. Why?"

"She's currently dating a certain boy I believe you know." He picked up a nacho, "I think his name was Derek Phillips."

The gasp from the girl's lips made it obvious she knew Derek.

"What? Derek swore he would never find another girl after me." Her eyes widened, "I cannot believe this. Who is this Margo?"

"Angel, I know this must be hard for you to take in. I myself am going through the same thought process. You see, Margo was once mi amour. I thought we might still have had a chance until he showed up." Antonio stared at the table in faux sadness, hoping Angel would fall for his pitiful lovesick ex-boyfriend act.

"Aww…" She sighed sadly at him, "You must have really liked her."

"Si," He frowned as he looked up at her, "What about you and Derek?"

"I always liked him a lot ever since he moved to my town, and we've been on and off for a few months now. Last time I was really mad because he forgot my birthday a month ago. It was stupid, but I started a fight and we broke up again. I needed some time to cool off, and I was sure he would wait for me like he usually does. I guess not now that he's with….what was her name again?"

"Margo Gru," He sighed, "A girl whose beautiful both inside and out."

"Margo…" Angel slowly said the name until it clicked in her mind, "That's his best friend! He calls her Mar, and never shuts up about their friendaversaries even when he couldn't remember his own birthday. I should have known he liked her more than just a friend the way he talked about their times in the orphanage like it was a love story."

"Orphanage?" Antonio let a genuine curiosity fill the question.

"You didn't know? Derek and Margo were in the same orphanage system, his for boys and hers for girls. I think they met on a playground or selling cookies or something like that. There was some kind of policy that separated the boys and girls, but they always found ways around it. Margo really had trust issues back then I think, but Derek really helped her see that not all people are bad. I don't think she had ever even had a real relationship before." Angel sighed, "No wonder he chose her over me. They're so much cuter together."

There was a sad silence that Antonio used to think about the new information he was given. Margo was adopted? How could she not have told him something so important to her life? It explained why she and her sisters called their father by his true name, and why they were so eager for him to be married and find love.

It also explained why she had fallen for him so easily. It wasn't only his charms or looks or dancing, but also because _he_ was the first boy to ever flirt and date her. She probably thinks that all boys are evil now, and might not trust one ever again.

Except for Derek, that was.

Then the realization dawned upon him.

It was _him_ who had driven them together. If it weren't for him, Angel and Derek would have gotten back together and Margo would have still been vulnerable enough to crush in a mere few days. If only he had known that; he would have played his game more on time, and Margo would still be heartbroken over him.

"Angel," He looked up, "I know how to get our loves back, but you'll have to do something that may tarnish your soul forever."

Angel wiped a stray tear that streamed from her eye, "Anything to get Derek back."

Antonio wore a shadow of a smirk, "Let me explain it to you clearly then, bella."


	4. The First Move

Margo Gru couldn't help smiling as she and Derek prepared to activate her genius plan. Words could not explain the enticing excitement she received from merely thinking about how Antonio would react after everything was done. A mischievous glint formed in her eyes as thought of being the first girl to play a mind game with him and win. For once she would be the one to confuse and bring him back down to earth and prove he was no god that could walk away from causing others pain like it was nothing.

This was going to be so much better than a simple freeze ray.

"You ready?" She looked over at her friend, who was studying the notes he had made on his hand before wiping them away on his jeans.

"Let's get lovey-dovey and make that jerk pay for what he did." Derek grinned at her as he grasped her hand, which was quite a bit smaller. It was a bit of an awkward fit, she admitted. She remembered how perfectly Antonio's hands folded over hers and made her feel lighter than air.

"Mar?" Derek snapped his fingers in front of her face, "Earth to Mar."

Margo quickly snapped out of her memories and scolded herself for enjoying the memory. She should be focusing on the hurt he had caused her instead of the bliss.

"I'm fine, Derek, just a bit excited to finally bring a womanizer like Antonio down."

"I know that feeling." Her friend grinned brightly, "I can't wait to hurt this jerk ten times worse than he hurt you and all the other girls."

Margo suddenly felt that it was right to compare him to a chivalrous knight, a good thing to be in a world where there were almost no genuinely good boys left. Perhaps after they had taken revenge on Antonio, she could get him back together with Angel, who quite liked that type… and him. Margo thought they were actually quite cute together when they weren't fighting.

_"Focus, Margo."_ She told herself, _"Now is not the time to think of anything but crushing Antonio like he did to you."_

So with an official nod, they began walking around the mall "aimlessly" whilst flirting and laughing. It wasn't too long before Margo led him in front of Antonio's family's restaurant, where she assumed he was. They increased their level of flirtation as they slowly walked by.

"You know you have the prettiest eyes?" Derek smiled softly at her as they slowed to a stop. Margo found herself glancing at the ground and blushing. Even if this was to make Antonio regret his actions, it was still nice to hear a genuine compliment.

He chuckled and tilted her head up so that she met his eyes, "You're so cute when you blush, Mar."

Margo gave him a small hug, "You're too sweet to me, Derek. I really don't deserve it."

"You deserve to be treated like royalty, Mar, especially after what you've been through." Derek gently wrapped his arms around her, "How about I get you some lunch? You never did get to finish your ice cream."

"And whose fault was that?" She laughed.

"How about this Mexican restaurant? I heard they have some of the best food and dancing. We haven't danced together in forever."

Margo tugged him back before he went in, "Umm, not there."

"Why not?"

As Margo pursed her lips, Derek understood her intentions.

"Oh, okay. Let's find somewhere else then." He came closer to the girl and pushed a stray strand of hair out of her face, "I'll let you pick."

"Thanks, Derek." Margo nodded appreciatively, and the pair walked away from the restaurant walking even closer together than before, leaving a particularly angry Spanish boy inside.

* * *

Antonio could not believe what he just saw. That _thing,_ that _uncivilized_ piece of_ trash,_ was holding Margo tightly as if they had been together for ages. Who did he think _he_ was? Who did she think _she_ was? It was bad enough she had moved on so quickly, but now it was just getting ridiculous. It was no wonder Angel was so desperate to get Derek back; he was almost as flirtatious as Antonio, except Derek's flirting was genuine.

He was thankful Angel had went to the restroom so it would not seem strange when he banged his fist on the table, and so that she could not hear his small growls of anger as he watched them walk away.

This was now about more than crushing Margo for the sake of his reputation, it was about crushing the very being of the boy who dared to touch her in such a way, wrapping his arms around her so affectionately that one would assume they had been in love for years. The mere memory made Antonio want to choke the boy.

As he heard the bathroom door click open, Antonio composed himself once more. With a deep breath, he reminded himself that this was his game, his rules, and he had Derek's biggest weakness eating out of the palm of his hand.

He couldn't wait to start getting his revenge on them.

"Angel, I believe it's time to begin." Antonio sighed as he stood.

Angel nodded timidly as they walked out of the restaurant, "Do you really think it will work?"

"It has to." Antonio frowned, "It's the only hope I have left."

"Don't worry. I'll get your love back to you, and reclaim mi amour forever." The tan girl smiled softly at him, "Because love always wins, right?"

"In a perfect world it will." Antonio looked up at the glass covering the mall, "Let's hope our love will be enough to win them back."

With that, the Spanish speaking pair walked their separate ways, each praying for a different miracle:

Angel's to get Derek back.

Antonio's to get the disgusting image of Derek cuddling with Margo out of his head so he could think clearly.


	5. Love Before All

Once Margo was sure Antonio was nowhere in sight, she looked up at her friend who was still looking at her with the faux puppy-love look that he had spent many minutes mastering for the plan.

"Do you think he bought it?" She smiled up at him, attempting to make it seem as though they were still flirting and not talking about mentally destroying an evil yet perfect boy.

"I'd say we were very convincing." He stroked her face softly, "I'd believe we were in love if I was him."

"There she is!" Margo froze as she heard Edith's voice scream as she and Anges appeared from behind a large group of people.

"Oh no," Margo muttered, "If they're here then…Derek, you better step away from me before Gru-"

"Margo!" A shout came as Gru pushed his way rudely through the crowd, "What is this the girls tell me about you being with another boy I don't like?"

Derek shot away from Margo in a heartbeat, "I think you have the wrong idea, Sir. I was just-"

"Gru, Derek was helping me with-"

"I don't care." Gru groaned as he separated the two even farther, "I've dealt with the blond boy before, haven't I? Dingo? Derch?"

"Derek, Sir." The boy called respectfully, "And we have met a few times before if you can recall. I'm Margo's good friend from the past."

"Well you seem pretty present to me." Gru huffed before he turned to look at his daughter, "And I thought you were done with the boys, Margo. What happened with that idea?"

"We're not really dating, Gru." Margo rolled her eyes, "This is just part of my plan to get revenge on Antonio."

"You could have just borrowed my freeze ray." Gru frowned.

"I was thinking of getting a more…permanent revenge, Gru."

"Like what?"

"We were planning to trick him and beat him at his own game so no girl has to go through this again."

Gru contemplated the thought, "Hmmm… Well, mentally scarring him does sound nice and all, but I don't know about the boy and the fake dating and whatnot."

"Let her do it, Gru!" Agnes shouted, "I could get a new brother out of it!"

"Gross." Edith pretended to gag at her sisters.

"Wait, wait, wait! There will be no talks about you getting any new brothers while I'm around to stop it." Gru turned back to Margo, but she and Derek were gone.

The bald man groaned in frustration as Lucy walked up behind him.

"Why can't she just listen to me, Lucy?" He whined, "I try so hard, but she doesn't listen."

Lucy patted his head, "There, there, Gru-bear. She's a really smart girl. Just trust her. Besides, I gave her a lipstick tazer just in case."

"But-"

Lucy plugged her ears and began singing so she couldn't hear him.

"C'mon, Lucy, don't-"

Lucy just sang louder.

"Fine!" Gru threw his hands up in defeat, "I'll trust her for now, but you can bet that I'll be doing the watching and the monitoring while she does it!"

"Yay!" Lucy bounced up and kissed her boyfriend on the cheek, "You're the best and most fun dad and boyfriend ever!"

Agnes giggled at the sight while Edith blanched in disgust.

"I'm going somewhere where none of this lovey-dovey junk is happening."

* * *

Antonio attempted to keep himself calm by taking a place by the fountain to wait for the signal from Angel. He tapped away on his phone if for nothing else than a distraction, but the thought of how close Margo and that disgusting Derek were kept haunting him. What was more than that was that he didn't know _why_ it bothered him so much.

Sure, it made things more difficult, but he had planned for this. Though it had never happened to him before, he had seen it happen to others. After Margo was hurt, she likely tried to deal with it herself, and unconsciously drew closer to her friend whom she would see soon. Once this happened, it was only a matter of time before they became a couple, and cuddling and hand holding came with it.

Still, Derek giving her _that_ much affection made his stomach twist. He remembered a time not so long ago when it was only him who could hold her like that.

"Antony?" Antonio's brooding was interrupted by the voice of his current girlfriend, Sheila. Oh right, he had forgotten about her.

Deciding it best to keep playing the boy going through issues, he looked up her with a small frown and an expression that looked as if he was about to spill tears, "Sheila?"

Instantly she was by his side, "Antony, what happened?" She said worriedly.

"I've just been thinking about everything." Antonio sighed as if he were trying to hold back from crying, "Mainly about how everything my dad ever taught me was a lie."

He dropped his head into his hands as she hugged him tightly.

"That's not true, baby." She tried to soothe him, "Evil or not, he was still your dad and cared for you."

"But how do I know that, Sheila? How do I know he wasn't planning to use me for some scheme?"

"Because even when you're evil, love comes first, and your father loved you more than anything."

"Gracias, bella." Antonio muttered as he hugged her sadly, though it was all an act of course. He knew his father loved him, and would gladly have given Antonio anything he wished for, even a device to blow up the earth if he asked. Antonio bit back a grin as he thought of what would happen once his father broke out of jail.

But he was actually quite interested in what Sheila had said to comfort him.

_Even when you're evil, love comes first._

At first thought, it was something to scoff at. Evil people didn't love many people, and whomever was that lucky was likely to be betrayed once a better offer came up. However, he couldn't quit applying that one phrase to most of his life.

He knew _he_ came before any scheme of his father's making.

He knew _the girls_ came before anything Gru did.

And, deep down inside a crevice of his heart where he wouldn't dare look, he knew that _Margo_ seemed to be coming before everything else he did, even flirting with other girls.

He shook the thought away as his and Sheila's hug ended. Now _that_ thought had been the most ridiculous he had in weeks. He, the magnificent Antonio, caring about some stubborn geek with cute glasses? Hah, what a funny joke to laugh about.

But even though his head was dead set on hating her, there was a bit of his heart that seemed to keep whispering the evil truths about what he truly felt.

_"What if you actually like her?"_

After that, Antonio spit out a fierce farewell to Sheila and left the fountain where he had first saved the clumsy Margo Gru.

He hated himself for having to bite back a smile from the memory.


	6. Heartbreak and Confusion

"Did we lose him?" Derek asked as they turned another corner in the mall. Margo looked back swiftly and was relieved to see that her protective father wasn't chasing them down.

"He's nowhere in sight." She let out a relieved sigh, "That was a close one."

"Almost like the all those times we got caught hanging out at the orphanages, huh?" Derek chuckled.

Margo laughed at the memories running through her mind. Derek had caused her to get into quite a bit of trouble when she was younger, but she regretted none of it and would gladly relive all of it if she was given a choice to. She still remembered when they had gotten stuck up in the park tree when they were hiding from their guardians. Oh, how hard she was punished for that one, but still so worth it.

Her thoughts trailed off when Derek's laugh stopped abruptly. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong when she saw what had caused his distraction.

A stunning beautiful tan girl with long dark hair and emerald eyes was staring at them, an expression of betrayal on her face as tears streamed down her face. She tried to form words, any words at all, but all that came out was a timid squeak before she turned quickly and ran away from us.

"Angel! It's not like that! I- oh no." Derek shouted before running after her.

Margo stood frozen to the spot. She knew how much Derek liked Angel. He always brought her up when something pretty popped up such as a rose or an orchid where he would say, "Angel would love that." or "I should get one of these for Angel."

Their relationship was rocky and they fought a lot, but they really did care about each other. Margo had known Derek for many years, but she never saw his eyes light up the same way they did when Angel was brought up in a conversation, or when he showed her all of their couple photos, in all of which you could see the love brimming from her eyes as she looked up at him.

All of that, and Margo had just managed to ruin it by becoming the dreaded "other woman". Just because she wanted some type of vengeance for her heartbreak, she had managed to break two others.

Words could not explain her self-loathing at the moment.

* * *

Antonio could hardly hold back his smirk as he watched Angel run away in tears with Derek trailing behind her like a lost puppy. Surely Margo must be quite angry with him for leaving her to chase after another girl, especially since this was the second time it had happened to her.

Casually, he walked around the corner and saw the girl who was the very object of his plan curled up against the wall. He would have smiled at the sight, but something was wrong. She didn't seem angry at Derek at all, just sad with eyes brimming with tears, as if she hated herself instead of the blond he intended her anger to be directed at.

_"Oh please, mighty forces in the skies,"_ He thought, _"If I mess up one more time I might as well become that idiot who used to be Gru's nemesis. Vlad? Vloyd? Victor? Oh well, I know it starts with a V."_

"Margo." He spoke gently instead of in his usual cocky attitude, surprising himself, "What's wrong?"

The girl in question shook her head repeatedly as if she was trying to shake a memory out of her ears.

"I'm worse than you are." She looked up at him in sadness, "I drove my best friend and the love of his life apart forever. I deserve to be locked away for this. How could I have been so stupid?"

"What do you mean, bella?" Antonio squatted down onto his knees so he could be eye level with the girl.

"They might never get back together because I was so selfish. Derek really liked her, maybe even loved her, but now she probably won't even talk to him. She must feel so betrayed and broken inside. Do you have any idea how that feels? Because I do, and it's not something I'd wish on anyone, not even you." She wiped away any tears that dare fall with her sleeve.

Antonio felt a piece of his ice-cold heart chip. Why did he feel so guilty? This was exactly what he wanted. All that was left to do was to comfort her and convince her he had changed so that he could crush her again. So why was it so hard to spit out words that usually came so easy to him? No matter how hard he tried to come up with a lie, or comforting words, it was lost before he could mutter so much as a syllable.

Giving up on speaking, Antonio simply reached out to touch her arm. He almost flinched at the evil glare he was given, but didn't move from his place. It was in the plan, but he felt that he did more because of the _need_ to be there for her at the moment rather than for strategic regions.

So when Margo gave in and leaned on his frame as her struggling to keep the tears in failed, and he wrapped an arm around her without a single thought, he was scared to the core. He was following the plan; that was what he told himself.

But his racing heart beat told a different story.


	7. The Kind Mastermind

"Angel, wait!" Derek shouted as he chased Angel through the mall's gardens, "It wasn't what you thought it was! Nothing is happening between Margo and me!"

"That's not what it looked like to me!" The Latina girl sobbed and stumbled a bit, "I can't believe this! I really thought he might have been lying to me. No matter how much he told me, I still had hope, but I guess I'm just stupid."

"Angel," Derek managed to grab her delicate hand before she got any farther away, "please believe me. Mar is like my little sister. Yes, I love her, but not in the same way I love you. I may have known her longer, but I've never felt the way same with her that I do when I'm with you."

Angel stayed silent as she looked up into his deep blue eyes, searching them for sincerity and truth.

"Every time I see you smile, my heart starts beating faster and faster, and I'm so addicted to your laugh that I'd rather die than never hear it again. You have such a beautiful personality, and even when we fight, I can't ignore how cute you look when you're angry. I know you must think I'm the biggest jerk in the entire world right now, but whatever you think happened didn't. Mar recently got into a nasty breakup with this cheater named Antonio, and she asked me to help get revenge. I had to help her because it was the right thing to do, but we never meant anything we did; it was all fake, I swear. It's only you I want, Angel."

His only response was a tight hug from the girl. Her fresh tears, which were now filled with happiness and relief, spilled onto his chest. The boy couldn't make out much of what she was saying, but it didn't seem to matter as he wrapped his arms around her; unlike Margo, who was a bit too awkwardly short for him, Angel was a perfect fit.

After a few moments, the Latina pulled away to face him.

"I believe you, and I'm so happy what he said wasn't true." She said, "I never want to lose you."

"Me either." He smiled as he stared into her eyes, but his expression soon turned confused as he processed the rest of her comment, "Who told you I was cheating?"

"Antonio Perez." Angel sighed, "He seemed so sad that he lost Margo, and I was so sure he was telling the truth. He looked like he was broken as I was when he told me. He convinced me to go along with a complex plan to break you two up. I wasn't supposed to cry and run, but I couldn't help it when I saw you two together."

Derek's eyes widened a bit, "Antonio's the jerk who broke Mar's heart, not the other way around. Mar had me going along with a plan to make him rage with jealousy and regret to get back at him for all the girls he had fooled. I guess it worked, huh?"

"Derek," Angel gasped, "we have to find Margo right now."

"Why? He got what he wanted, right?"

"No," She shook her head, "he said he wanted to win her back after you ran after me, but if what you say is true, I fear what he may do to her."

Derek didn't care to give her a response as he grabbed her hand and ran back to where he had last seen Margo. If what he had been told was true, Antonio was more than a simple womanizer, he was a deceptive and evil mastermind who could fool anyone.

And now he was somewhere in the mall all alone with his best friend.

* * *

If there was one thing Antonio Perez never thought would happen, it was showing someone, especially a girl, his father's secret lair, yet somehow he was in that exact situation with Margo.

Antonio was no idiot; he knew that Margo struggling with tears whilst leaning on him was something that was not good for either of them to display to the public (especially if Gru happened to show up), so he had used his quick wits to think of an easy solution. No one had used his father's lair since he had left, and Antonio was the only one who knew the code. If they were in there, they would have a chance to talk without anyone viewing what they said.

"Why did you bring me here?" Margo's voice was strained as she asked the question.

Antonio rolled his eyes, "Look, chica, I may be a 'jerk' as you say, but I'm no fool. Do you really want the hundreds of people in this mall to see you crying on my shoulder? What if your father or your sisters happened to see?"

"Why are you trying to help me anyway? Trying to convince me you've changed?"

Antonio smirked as he walked onto the dance pad and began dancing the code, "Maybe, maybe not."

"Fine," Margo rolled her eyes at him, "It's okay if you don't tell me. I don't trust you anyway."

As the door opened, Antonio let her go first, "You say this as I lead you to my father's secret lair where no one else can find us."

"I literally just watched you put in the code, and almost anything else your father put in here to be locked up will have something to do with salsa, I'm sure." The girl wiped her eyes, which were no longer producing tears, but still the slightest bit puffy and red. At least she would be able to hide here until she looked presentable again.

"You seem to know my father well, though he isn't that hard to figure out." Antonio laughed, "If you think you know the way out, I would be happy to give you your space. Unless, of course, you would like to be close to me again."

Margo frowned at his flirtations, "I just caused my best friend to lose the girl he loved. Do you really think I would want to spend time with you to make me feel better?"

"Suit yourself, bella." Antonio gently pushed her off the elevator pad as the doors opened, "I'm going to Salsa Night. Feel free to come up if you miss me."

"Will do." Margo said sarcastically as he disappeared behind the elevator doors. She really hated him, but she had to admit he was being unusually nice to her to let her be alone in a place that was so important to his father. If she was the gullible girl she was a week ago, she might have believed he had changed, but since she had become wise to his games, she was determined to keep her guard up.

For a few moments, she just stood there, looking at the elevator doors as if something would suddenly pop out of them. When nothing happened, she let out a long sigh. She might as well look around if she was planning to stay her for an hour or two before going back up.

Slowly, she strolled through the large place. She could see where he had locked the minions up to inject them with that awful serum, and a desk where his plans were neatly stacked. A cold shiver ran through her at the thought of how the little yellow guys felt after going through that.

Walking on for a minute or two, she found a small kitchen filled with salsa ingredients and several cooking utensils.

"Guess he thought people were after his salsa recipe." She smiled as she examined the several food items in the cupboard and fridge. Perhaps she would make something later out of the food that was still good if she was hungry. She was no master chef, but she could surely make something if she needed to.

As she passed the hanging pans, she could see her reflection. She cringed at what she saw, a pitiful looking girl with a tear streaked face and stringy hair with strands sticking out in all sorts of places. She looked like she had gotten in a fight and lost. How could Antonio even manage to flirt with her when she looked like this?

A huff of disappointment escaped her. She had quite possibly just ruined her best friend's life, and here she was thinking about her appearance. She deserved to look this after what she had done. No revenge is worth the feelings of someone close to you.

_"Still,"_ she thought, _"I can't go anywhere looking like this."_

So she spent the next few minutes cleaning herself up as best she could. She washed her face in the sink and undid her ponytail to resituate her hair into its proper form. Karma seemed to get back at her when her hairband snapped in half while she attempted to slip her hair through it. A growl of frustration came from her, but she would just have to deal with it for now, as she had no spares.

Placing her glasses back where they belonged, she decided she at least looked somewhat better now. Perhaps in a few minutes she would be composed enough to leave. She thought over which way the exit was located, but found that she had not been paying much attention when she was thinking over what had just happened.

As she groaned, she didn't notice her phone buzzing in her skirt pocket.


	8. Realization

As he was lifted up in the elevator, Antonio couldn't shake the strange feeling of regret. Should he have stayed with Margo? It was obvious that she didn't want him there even if she was grateful for his help, so it only would have made things awkward had he stayed. Still, the thought of her disheveled appearance haunted him. She wasn't done crying or regretting her actions, and it bothered him that he couldn't be there to help.

He caught his own thoughts just in time. Since when had he cared if Margo cried? The whole point of the plan was to crush her heart permanently, so why did this one little thing matter? She would fall for him eventually if he kept acting the way he was, so there were no worries, yet as much as he repeated that in his mind, he was still thinking of her tear streaked face.

As the doors slid open, Antonio took a deep breath and walked out. Hopefully dancing the beautiful dance of salsa would get his mind off of Margo for just a bit.

Stepping out into the noisy restaurant filled with talking and the familiar tune of the music of salsa was a relief for him. His uncle had been right. Several people had shown up to Salsa Night to party and dance. There were women in colorful dresses, men in dashing suits, and children in their best clothes either dancing, or leaning to dance. He thought faintly about how much his father would love this if he were out of prison.

"Antonio, mi sóbrino!" His uncle called as he walked up to the boy, "I thought you weren't going to make it tonight."

"I changed my mind." Antonio smiled at his uncle, "It's hard to resist the allure of the salsa."

"Yes, the dance of love and passion!" His uncle laughed as he grabbed a woman from the crowd, "Don't just stand there, Antonio, grab a girl and dance!"

And so he did. For the next half hour Antonio spent the night being the star performer of the entire night. As his father's son, he had practically been born dancing to the fast and rhythmic songs, and tonight proved that more than anything. Almost every girl in the room went weak in the knees just watching him move on the dance floor, and when he walked up and asked them to dance in his ravishing Spanish accent, they almost fainted.

It was fun for Antonio. Salsa was the perfect remedy to get his other problems out of his mind. It was just him, the music, and whatever lucky chica he asked to dance for the moment. It was perfect until he noticed his "girlfriend" walking in, wearing a stunning dark red dress.

Quickly, he released his partner and walked up to her, not wanting to relive his previous mistake with Margo. He would dump her here without the need to be frozen for the rest of the night, and then he could continue on with his night as happy and free as he could be.

"Sheila." He smiled as he approached her, "How lovely you look tonight."

He saw her light blush as she glanced at the ground, "Thank you, Antony."

"Would you like to dance?" He held out his hand, which she accepted gingerly.

"Okay, but I'm not that good at the salsa."

"That is okay, bella." He smiled, "just follow my lead and go with the music."

She nodded as they walked out into the dance floor. Antonio grabbed her hands and placed them in the correct position. As the song started off, their bodies moved in sync. Antonio was very surprised at the dance to say the least. Sheila was actually managing to keep up with his pace, and dancing quite well for not being raised in the ways of the dance.

"I think you were lying about not being good at salsa dancing, bella." He smirked as he twirled her.

"Maybe a little bit." She giggled, "I took some dance classes with your uncle so I could dance with you tonight. I thought it might cheer you up a little."

"You thought right, Sheila." He smirked, "Nothing cheers up a Latino boy like dancing the salsa with a beautiful girl."

Again she blushed, "I'm glad you like it."

And then Antonio's vision seem to blur a bit. When it refocused, everything was strange. He looked at his dance partner, but something was different about her. When she looked up, it was Margo's face instead of Sheila's. He shook his head a bit and looked back at her only to see that Sheila was back to normal. He had almost calmed down and lost himself in the salsa when he glanced at the crowd, who now all looked like odd versions of Margo.

"Antony, is everything okay?" Antonio looked back to see Sheila was once again wearing Margo's face.

"Err, yes, I think so at least." Antonio muttered to her, trying to revert the image in his mind back to normal.

"Maybe you need to sit down." She said as she stopped their dance. Antonio shook his head once again to try to get Margo's face from being placed on everyone in the room.

"Care to take Margo on a date?" A server came up to him.

"Excuse me?"

"I said, care to take another go on the dates?" The server pointed to the tray full of snack foods, including dates.

"No thank you." Antonio watched the server with Margo's face walk away with a confused face.

"Antony? Do you need to sit down?" Sheila's voice seemed far away as Antonio focused his eyes on the ground. His father had told him this day would come, the day when he would only see one girl in a sea of many, but he had never believed it could actually happen to him. He never thought the day would come when this happened.

"No, no, no, no." Antonio muttered, "This cannot be happening."

"What's wrong, Antony?" Sheila looked at him with a worried expression.

Antonio looked up and for once showed her a genuine expression of worry and panic.

"I think I'm in love."

Her face lit up as she hugged him, "Oh, Antonio! I thought I would have to say it first, bu-"

"Not with you." He shrugged her off, "With Margo."

"What?" Sheila's face fell, "b-but, I'm your girlfriend."

Antonio looked back at her, relieved that she looked like herself now, "It's nothing personal, Sheila, but you are sadly not the girl I have fallen for. I fear I must leave you for another to take."

Sheila's face broke into heartbreak in an instant, "You don't mean that."

"I'm afraid I do." Antonio sighed, "Believe me when I say I never thought it would happen to me."

"Well… well," Sheila tried to form words in her growing fury, "I hope she hates you!"

Antonio gave her a sad smile in response, "That she does."

Sheila was taken aback as tears ran down her beautiful face, "Wh-What?"

"Margo Gru hates my very being, yet I'm in love with her for some reason." Antonio sighed, "I assume you understand that I must break up with you now."

The girl could not summon words as her tears worsened. With a forceful swing, she slapped the boy across the face and stormed out of the restaurant. Antonio didn't mind. He deserved it and a whole lot more for what he had done.

"Well," He sighed to himself as he spun around and walked back to the lair, "I guess I have to keep the tradition alive and at least try to win her back."

* * *

Margo Gru had had enough of the labyrinth of a lair. It seemed every time she turned a corner to retrace her steps, she was in a new area of the lair. Currently, she was in an arcade like area. She had the urge to scream. Why did a super villain even _need_ an arcade? What possible purpose did it serve them whatsoever? When she finally got out, she was going to have to have a serious conversation with Antonio about his father's design of buildings.

She had been walking aimlessly for who knows how long, and not once had she found the elevator doors again. She was almost beginning to hope that Antonio would come back and find her so she could leave. After some serious thought and some tears, she was finally ready to woman up to her actions and get Derek back with Angel.

But that, of course, could only happen once she found her way out of this dreaded place.

Margo had begun marking the places she had been by displacing things and occasionally breaking something out of frustration so that she would recognize the place should she revisit it. Sadly, she hadn't run into any of those places as of yet.

Relief washed upon her as she noticed the kitchen from so long before. She ran to it in excitement. Even if this wasn't where the door was, she knew it was closer than wherever she had been before. The kitchen was just as she had left it, and Margo resisted the need to eat some of the food. She had to stay focused on getting out, and not on filling her empty stomach. Even if the last thing she had eaten was her unfinished ice cream from that morning.

Since she had went the wrong way the last time, Margo used her reasoning to find the right path through the small unfinished machines stacked on top of one another in a neat stack. She turned many corners and attempted to go to where the front of the massive room was, but she couldn't help getting misdirected many times along the way.

Just as she was getting ready to give up, something fell from her pocket. It was her phone. As she picked it up, she saw she had several missed messages and calls from Derek. She was quite confused at first. Why was he texting her when Angel was so much more important? Knowing that only made her nervousness grow as she clicked on her missed texts.

**Mar don't talk 2 ant. He's planning to do something!**

**Why aren't you replying? Please tell me you're not with him.**

**Antonio is still evil, Mar. He tricked Angel into thinking we were dating just like we tricked him.**

**DON'T TRUST THE JERK, MAR!**

**MAR, WHERE ARE YOU!**

**MAR PLEASE REPLY. I'M GETTING SCARED!**

The messages just got worse and worse as she scrolled down. Quickly, she clicked the box to text him back.

**forgot about my phone for a while, sorry. I'm safe, don't worry, I won't trust Antonio.**

She hadn't planned to trust the little heartbreaker in the first place, but knowing that he had been the true reason for the drama between Derek and Angel was definitely a large helper in assuring the fact.

She should've expected Antonio would counter her little game. After all, it was what he did best, but to go as far as to nearly drive apart two people who loved each other dearly was going too far. If she had ever planned to give Antonio forgiveness, it was no longer an option.

As she walked and read over the messages again, she ran into something hard. Looking up, she saw the elevator doors. She was about to jump for joy and push the button to get out of the awful place when the doors opened before her.

And there stood Antonio Perez, looking distraught and a bit panicked.

"What happened to you?" She seethed the question as her anger came about.

The boy shook his head, "I'd rather not talk about it, bella."

Margo rolled her eyes and walked to the elevator when her hand was grabbed by his.

"Not now, Margo," He shook his finger at her as if she were a small child, "I need to show you something."

"Do I have a choice?"

"No," He smirked, "No you do not."

"Than lead the way, jerkface."

"Oh, I have a nickname now. I like it."

"Be quiet. I know it was you who told Angel about Derek and me."

"That it was, but I simply couldn't stand by and watch you and that boy break her fragile heart. Someone had to tell her that her love was dating another."

"What?" Margo arched a brow, "You actually believed that…" She drifted off into a smirk. She had actually managed to trick Antonio Perez, and he was still clueless to the fact.

"Believed what?"

"Nothing." Margo sang, but Antonio didn't press any further. Instead, he changed the subject.

"I see your hair is down. It looks nice."

"Don't get used to it." She smiled, "My hairband broke when I was trying to fix my hair."

"Well you are beautiful either way, mi amour." He turned his head so he could wink at her. He could see a small blush color her soft cheeks in an adorable way. She rolled her eyes and was going to shoot out a sarcastic response when he spoke again.

"We are here."

Margo's flusteredness was replaced with curiosity in an instant as she looked at the modified motorcycle. It was obvious that it wasn't normal. Many updates and gadgets had been added to make it look more dangerous than anything else. How had she missed it when she was walking around for so long?

"What is this?"

"This," He smiled, "Is an updated version of an ancient Perez tradition, and we are going to ride it through the sky."

"What?! Is that even safe?"

Antonio chuckled as he guided her over to it, "Now why would I take such a beautiful girl on an unsafe ride? Of course it's safe."

Margo couldn't bring herself to resist as Antonio handed her a helmet and helped her onto the amazing contraption.

"Why do you even have this thing?" She asked as he revved the engine.

"I told you," He laughed, "It's a Perez tradition to do this. I've just updated it a little."

As they lifted off the ground for the first time, Margo grabbed on tightly to Antonio's torso and shut her eyes.

"I see you still enjoy touching me, bella." She could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Get over yourself." Margo rolled her eyes, "I just don't want to fall. This is crazy, you do know that, right?"

"Everything will be fine, my dear Margo." He chuckled as he used a remote to open the roof of the lair, "Just trust me."

"It's a bit late for that, don't you think?" She snapped at him, "How high does thing go anyway?"

"As high as I want it to, chica," Antonio smiled as he boosted the gas and flipped some switches, "and we're going to pretty far up, so hold on tight."

Margo was sure her screams were heard by everyone in the mall when they took off at full speed.

She would be sure to yell at him once they were back on the safe ground.


	9. A Motorcycle Ride Through The Sky

"Come on, bella, just open your eyes and you'll be fine." Antonio chuckled as he felt Margo's grip on him tighten once more. They hadn't been flying for very long, but she was already terrified. Antonio was relieved to admit he found it actually quite cute. It felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off his chest now that he had quit lying to himself about his feelings. He never expected to be as happy as he was now just because he was with a girl, let alone the daughter of a man who once tried to steal the moon.

"I'll be fine once you let me back down on the ground!" Margo shouted, cowering further into him. She couldn't believe she actually let him get her on this thing. What had she been thinking? She was supposed to be mad at him and completely untrusting of him, yet he still managed to bring her along on this death mission.

"C'mon, just one little peek and you'll see how beautiful it is." She could feel his laugh vibrate throughout his back, "You're missing this amazing view."

Her curiosity getting the better of her, Margo opened her eyes just a bit to see of it was beautiful as he said. Her stomach lurched a bit at first when she saw how high they were (she swore they were almost touching the upper glass.), but once her fear had left her she could realize what Antonio meant.

The sight below her was breathtakingly beautiful. She had never know what the roofs of the many stores in the mall in had looked like (and she never actually cared until now), but when combined with the many pathways and open spaces, they all made an amazing pattern of swirls and colorful dots that seemed like they were drawn out before they were built. It seemed like there were flowers everywhere, filling up the area with bursts of vibrant colors and scents.

"I take it you like what you see?" Antonio smiled at her gasp of wonder. He was relieved she was having a good time; it would make it much easier for him to explain why he was doing this if she was in a good mood.

"How did you even discover the mall was like this from this angle?" She asked as she continued to stare at the rooftops that formed such amazing art.

A satisfied tone came from his voice, "I've been modifying this motorcycle for a very long time. I discovered some pretty amazing things while I was test driving it."

"You mean you built this thing and not someone else?"

"Please, Margo," The boy flipped his hair to the side, "there are many things a Perez man will allow others to do for him, but when it comes to the tradition of the motorcycle, each man takes it upon himself to make the tradition his own."

"You keep talking about this 'tradition'", She quirked a brow as she glanced at his back, "What is it exactly?"

"That, bella," He smiled, "will be told to you once we are finished with this little outing."

He could tell she was confused, but she chose to say nothing and continue looking at the scenery. Antonio wished he could see her expression at the moment. His father told him that this was one of the most important moments in the life of a Perez man, and the last thing he wanted to do was mess it up.

The silence lingered for a few minutes, but neither minded; it was a comfortable silence where they could simply enjoy each other's company without speech. Margo had gently laid her head down on his back as she watched the passing buildings whilst Antonio steered the contraption to the place where he planned to take her.

As they landed, Margo was a confused at her surroundings, which were full of bright red roses and lilies, sunflowers, every other flower she could name, and some she couldn't, "Why are we at the flower shop? Shouldn't we be back at your dad's lair?"

"I thought we should stop here first." The boy chuckled as he kicked the kickstand in place and stepped off of his beloved bike. Like a true gentleman, he helped Margo off and took her helmet.

"Why? You have a date once you're done dragging me around?" She said sarcastically as she examined the area. Antonio couldn't stop the smile that crossed his face as he looked at her. It was very weird for him to admit, but he actually really liked her sarcastic defensive nature. It was cute.

"Something like that." He walked around the colorful and beautiful place, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you said your favorite flowers were daffodils, no?"

Margo was surprised at the question, but answered nonetheless, "Yeah… why?"

Antonio began walking to where the flowers in question were. Carefully and swiftly, he plucked one from its original place and brought it to her and held it out, "Well it would be quite rude of me to hand a girl a flower she didn't like."

"Why are you giving me this?" She said cautiously, reminding herself that he wasn't to be trusted.

"Margo," The boy sighed, "I will admit that I have not been the ideal gentleman that I should have been in my past, and I have treated you among many others as mere trophies and checks upon a mental list in my head. I deserve much punishment for my actions, and plan to atone for everything I've done to the people I've hurt, especially you. This flower is where it starts."

Margo searched his face for any hidden traces of dishonesty, or the usual glint of mischief in his eyes, but found none. She wanted to believe he was telling the truth so that it wouldn't be wrong when her heart began to pick up its pace, but kept her distance just in case. Antonio Perez was a profound liar, and she was not going to fall victim to him again even if it meant going against her heart's wishes.

"I'm not sure I believe you." She hesitantly accepted the flower he was holding out to her.

"And I do not deserve to earn back your trust as of yet, but mark my words, Margo Gru, I will gain your forgiveness one way or another."

"And how exactly do you know this?" Margo crossed her arms as a smile formed on her lips.

"Because the only thing stronger than a Perez's determination," Antonio gave her a breathtaking smirk, "is their love."

The girl was taken aback by his response. What had he meant by that? Was he simply stating that he was determined, or was implying that he….loved her? She pushed the last part out of her mind. There was no way the best womanizer of the century would ever fall in love with a girl like her, a stubborn girl who wore glasses and was so easily emotionally hurt. He had to be referring to the determination of his family's legacy.

"Well," Antonio began walking back to his motorcycle, "I'm guessing you want to go back to the lair now?"

Just as Margo was going to reply, her stomach let out a growl of hunger. A bright blush exploded on her face as her hands immediately pressed down on it, as if it would magically make it as if the moment had never happened.

The Spanish speaking boy smiled at her, "Or perhaps I should take you out to eat instead? Tell me, bella, where would like to go?"

"I'm not hungry." Margo crossed her arms, "Just take me back so I can find Derek and Angel."

"Why in such a hurry to see your little boyfriend, Margo?" Antonio's smile dwindled a bit, "He left you to chase after a girl he had already broken up with."

Margo eye's widened as she smiled a bit, "You really haven't figured it out, have you?"

"Figured out what?"

"Wow," Margo uncrossed her arms and began walking toward him, "Who would have known that tricking the great Antonio Perez was possible? I guess miracles can happen."

"What do you mean?" He watched her carefully. The genuine expression of confusion on his face was priceless to Margo.

She looked up into his eyes with a triumphant look in her eyes, "Derek and I were never dating. We tricked you into thinking we were so you would actually regret playing with someone's heart so carelessly for once."

Antonio's breath hitched in his throat as the news sunk in. She had managed to trick him, the boy who had never once been outsmarted by anyone? All the anger he had felt when he saw Derek hold her, all the mixed emotions he had when he was plotting to hurt her, and even falling in love with her, it was all because she had outmatched him at his own game.

He remembered his father telling him the many stories of him mother, and the one speech he always said with a joyous laugh after each and every story:

_"And when you find that special girl, you know she won't come easy. Your mother was a clever one, always tricking me and keeping me on my toes like no one else could. You know how, Antonio? Because she knew me better than anyone else ever did, and that was why I loved her. She was my only weakness, and one day, you'll find that one girl that makes you feel like no other does, and she may trick you and mess with your mind, but you have to be there and fight for her because you'll love her beyond any reason, and she will become your one weakness."_

Antonio chuckled at the memory. He never thought any of the predictions his father made about his future love life would ever become true, yet it seemed the man had been spot on so far.

"Why are you laughing?" It was Margo's turn to be confused, "I tricked you. I thought you would be mad."

"Oh, Margo," Antonio placed his hand on her shoulder and put his face closer to hers, "you have no idea what you've just done for yourself."

He didn't let the stunned girl reply as he pulled away, "Now, where shall we eat?"


	10. A Home Cooked Meal

"Are you sure we can't just eat at Salsa y Salsa? This seems like a lot of work just to get a meal."

"Nonsense, mi amour," Antonio smiled back at her, "You should know how many people show up to the infamous Perez parties, especially when it comes to the dancing of salsa. The restaurant is far too crowded to get a proper meal without being seen, and I've taken into consideration that risking your father or sisters seeing us is not wise."

"Why would they look there?"

"Please, Margo," Antonio almost laughed, "The last time they saw you, you were making a plan to outwit me. Now, you're gone and Derek and Angel both know I was the last one with you. Where would be the first place you would look?"

"Point taken," Margo pursed her lips in thought, "but is your mansion any better?"

"We will be gone once they even consider looking here, bella." He smirked as he landed his motorcycle in the backyard of his mansion, "The many years I've spent at Salsa y Salsa, including many lessons in the kitchen form our head chef, Rosa, have made me an excellent cook, and it will only take about twenty minutes for me to prove that to you, depending on what you'd like, that is."

"If you say so." The girl accepted his help off the motorcycle and handed him her helmet, "but it's your fault if something bad happens."

"What bad thing could possibly happen when I'm here?" He casually flipped his hair to the side and unlocked his backdoor.

"Sorry, oh-so-perfect one," Margo rolled her eyes, "I'm just saying that Gru and Lucy will eventually find me one way or another. My family is an extremely determined one with many weapons and spy equipment designed by Gru."

"So I've seen." Antonio shivered slightly, remembering how long it had taken him to get out of that dreaded block of ice, and the three days he had spent trying to gain back the feeling in his legs. He wondered what Gru would do to him now if he found out he was taking Margo to his home while no one else occupied the residence. The possibility of severe electrocution and prison crossed his mind.

The thoughts of his torture were interrupted by Margo's gasp as she entered his home. He smiled at her reaction.

"Why so surprised? You've been here before, right?"

"Yeah, but only in that room with the fountain. I never actually explored this place before."

"Ah, the patio is an award winner in people's hearts." Antonio guided her to the kitchen, "but I personally prefer the home theater. Everyone is has different preferences though. My father always loved the kitchen the most."

"Wow, what a life." Margo gazed at the expensive designing of the home as she followed him to their destination.

"It does us well, though our summer home has a better pool than the one we have here, and our snow lodge has an even better view."

"How many houses do you guys need?"

"As many as we want, bella. Salsa y Salsa is a very successful franchise worldwide. We have plenty of money to spoil ourselves with."

The girl rolled her eyes, "And charity never crossed your mind?"

"My father may have spent a few thousand here and there on whales and animal shelters, but most of what he allowed himself to spend was put toward our family in Mexico and Spain, who are running just a few of the other Salsa y Salsas."

"He sounds like he was nice guy aside from trying to rule the world."

"Si," He placed the keys to his bike on the kitchen counter as they entered, "So what would you like me to make you, mi amour?"

"I don't know." Margo sighed, "Something tasty and fast to make. I'm starving."

"I have just the dish for you then, chica." Antonio smirked as he began pulling out ingredients from the fully stocked cupboards and placing them on the marble island in the center of the kitchen, "I think you're going to like it."

Margo watched in awe as he skillfully preheated the stove, placed a batch of some type of rice in a boiling pot of water, and began chopping up meats and vegetables before placing them into the mixture before adding spices to the food and stirring it carefully, only to repeat the process.

He was very focused on his task, something that made him look even more attractive to Margo. His soft brown eyes followed each movement of his hand as he chopped something, his silky black hair swayed back and forth and in a rhythmic flow, she could faintly see the way his arm muscles moved when he brought the knife down, and the way his hands smoothly guided the knife across the entire food article before starting over.

"Checking me out now, are we?" He said with a mischievous smirk, though he did not look at her.

"What?" Margo crossed her arms and looked away, a light pink dusting her cheeks, "No way."

"You're cute when you blush, Margo." The boy smiled as he continued to prepare the dish.

"I am not blushing." She denied as her face the pink hue of her face became darker.

"Whatever you say, bella. I obviously know nothing about the process of blood rushing to your adorable face when you become embarrassed." He chuckled softly as he looked up to see her in her usual defensive pose, face ablaze with color.

"Just cook."

"As you wish."

When Margo had asked for a quick dish, Antonio did not disappoint. The entire meal was done within twenty minutes, and it smelled heavenly. Her stomach began growling in anticipation of finally being able to eat something, especially a home cooked meal.

"Here you are, mi amour. One home cooked Spanish dish just for you." Antonio pushed a plate of the food in front of her, "Made from the finest ingredients money can buy, and from the chef who makes it even better than how it's prepared at Salsa y Salsa."

"Is it really that good?" She asked as she looked at the treat. Sure, it smelled amazing, but she'd never seen or eaten anything like it. The rice was…yellow.

"Try it, and I guarantee you'll love it." Antonio smiled.

Margo didn't have to be told twice as she began eating the food that was foreign to her. She ate it slowly at first, testing out the taste and textures. She was relieved to find that it tasted even better than it smelled, and began filling her empty stomach with the food.

"I knew you would like it." He gave a smirk as he watched her hastily eat the dish he had prepared.

Margo only nodded at him as she ate her food. She hadn't been lying when she said she was starving, and finally eating was such a delight to her body. Antonio didn't seem to mind her lack of response and simply enjoyed the satisfaction of someone, especially Margo, enjoying his food.

Once she finished her plate, she looked up at him, "It was pretty good, but I was starving, so even the most horrible food would have been nice."

"Well then," Antonio flipped his hair to the side, "I suppose I'll have to cook for you more often to prove my skills in the kitchen."

"You don't have to that." Margo felt slightly embarrassed at his words, and tucked her hair behind her ear, "I mean, cooking for me would be a hassle, and-"

"There is no burden in cooking for a beautiful girl, Margo." He gave her a flirtatious wink, "In fact, I consider it my greatest honor."

Margo found herself once again speechless at his actions. She wished she knew how to respond, but her mind seemed to have a habit of shutting down when he flirted with her, leaving her to simply sit there and stare at him like an idiot. She hadn't known how long she would have sat there gaping him if it weren't for the sudden ringing of her phone.

The sound of her ringtone echoed throughout the large house as she scrambled to answer it. Her fear grew as she stared down at the caller ID. It was Gru.

"H-Hello?" She tried to sound casual as she answered.

"Margo!" His voice was loud through the speaker of her phone, "Where are you? I was trying to follow you like the great dad I am, but you disappeared!"

"You were following me?" Margo scoffed at her father, "Gru, you should learn to trust me. I'm not a little girl."

"I know that, kitten. I was just worried what with the boys and the plotting and the other things. You really know how to stress me out."

The girl groaned, "Gru, I know what I'm doing, and I'm safe. You're going to have to learn to give me some space. I'm a big girl now, and don't need you to hold my hand all the time."

"But, Margo, I-"

"Bye, Gru." She huffed into her phone before hanging up on him. Who did he think he was to just follow her around like she couldn't be trusted? She was practically fourteen already. Did she really need a babysitter to watch her all the time?

"Father troubles, I take it?" Antonio's voice broke her from her thoughts.

"He can't bring himself to trust me." Margo sighed, "I don't know why he's being so stubborn about letting me explore the world and form my own experiences. I can take care of myself."

The Latino boy in front of her laughed a bit, "And what would say he to that if he knew you were here with me all alone in my massive mansion?"

A small blush crossed her cheeks as she crossed her arms once again, "Well he doesn't know about that, does he?"

"Let's hope it stays that way for both our sakes." He cringed as the thoughts of what torturous things Gru would do to him if he knew about their small encounter.

Margo nodded as she stood up from her chair, "Thanks for the meal, but I think it's time we should be getting back before something bad happens."

"What's your hurry, Margo?" He smiled at her, "Aren't you having fun with me?"

The girl rolled her eyes and reminded herself that she was supposed to be mad at him, "I'm just saying that it won't be long before Gru had people all over looking for me. Do you want to be frozen again?"

"Where to next then?" Antonio hastily grabbed his keys and headed to the backdoor. Margo almost laughed at his sudden nervousness.

"I would say the mall, but Gru's probably going insane right now, and I'd rather give him some time to cool down. Maybe we should go to a place where we can blend in easily?"

"Tell me, chica," The boys face lit up, "do you like amusement parks?"

"Doesn't everyone?" Margo couldn't stop her smile as she walked out the door with him. She quickly grabbed her helmet and put it on, and didn't have to be asked to hop on the bike and wrap her arms around the boy.

"Then to Super Silly Fun Land it is." He revved the engine and took off quickly into the sky. Margo smiled at the view as she calmly laid her head on his back. Surprisingly, she was actually enjoying spending the day with him, even if he had ripped her heat into shreds a mere week ago.

Her eyes widened slightly as she tried to remind herself not to fall for him again and that he was probably just deceiving her again to get back at her for tricking him, but the genuine looks he gave her of honesty and joy kept interrupting her logical thoughts.

And her racing heart didn't seem to agree with logic either.


	11. Super Silly Fun Land

"How about that one next?"

"We've ridden that one already, Antonio."

"Yes, but my eyes were closed in the picture. If I'm going to remember my amusement park time spent with you, I want my eyes to be open."

"Are you sure it's not because you were screaming like a little girl?" Margo laughed as she looked up at his slightly pink face.

"I do not scream like a little girl, I scream like a proud Perez man."

"That sounds like a little girl." She teased.

Antonio smiled down at her, "Well whatever my manly screams may sound like, are we going to ride it again?"

"Sure, but try to be brave this time. I'll hold your hand if you get scared." Margo chuckled as she began walking with him to the rollercoaster.

"Is that a promise, bella?" Antonio winked at her, "If so, I think I'm afraid of the dark and walking in large groups as well."

"Get over yourself." Margo couldn't hold back her small smile as she hit his shoulder playfully.

The boy sighed dramatically, "Tell me how one as perfect and charismatic as myself simply ignore how amazing I am, Margo."

"Maybe you can start by not referring to yourself as perfect."

"But how can I deny the truth?"

Margo rolled her eyes, "No one is perfect, not even you, Mr. Suave."

"Name one thing about me that is not pure perfection, Margo." He slid an arm around her shoulders confidently.

"For one thing, you're way too overconfident, and you seem to like invading other's personal space a bit too much." She walked out of his grasp, "And then there's the little detail that you lie and trick others for your own amusement. Not to mention your lack of concern for others, and your-"

"Okay, okay, I get it." Antonio sighed with a small smile, "I'm wrong, and glasses girl is right."

"Glad we're on the same page." Margo's smile grew as she walked into the line for the rollercoaster, which was surprisingly short. Antonio followed suit, but soon his eyes drifted to something childlike and fun he'd never gotten to do before.

"Margo, do you want to do that before we ride?" He pointed at the booth he was looking at.

"Face painting? I never took you as the kind of guy who likes that kind of thing."

"I've, uhh, never actually had it done before." He glanced to the ground as he heard her giggles.

"You've never had your face painted before?" Her laugh subsided when he didn't respond, "You're serious?"

He nodded, suddenly feeling embarrassed at his eagerness to do something meant for children. He was slightly shocked when Margo grabbed his hand and began tugging to the booth.

"Well what are we waiting for then? Let's go."

He wasn't able to stop her and before he could even speak an objection, they were at the booth. A woman with bright blue eyes turned to them.

"Hi, guys!" The woman smiled at them, "Do you gotta little sibling whose just dying to be a kitten or a butterfly or a frog! Oh, I do lions, bears, and tigers too. Oh my!"

"Actually, Mam, we were hoping you could paint our faces."

"Oh," The woman blinked a bit in surprise, but soon smiled, "Well that's just dandy. Who is going first?"

"Oh, well I think that-" Antonio was about to talk his way out of getting painted, but Margo swiftly pushed him forward.

"He is."

"Well isn't he just a cutie?" The woman picked up her paints as Antonio sat in the white chair, "What paint job do you want, sweetie?"

"If I am to be painted," Antonio held his hands up dramatically, "Then I shall be a lion, a fierce and ferocious creature worthy of the Perez name."

"Lion, gotcha." The woman began dipping her paintbrush into the orange and yellow paints and started to paint Antonio's face.

He laughed a bit as the paintbrush came into contact with his face, "It tickles a little."

"Now you gotta hold still, sweetie. I can't paint right if you're jiggling all over the place."

Antonio nodded and composed himself as Margo's laugh rang in his ears. It was a nice to hear her happy laughter even under such circumstances, and he was actually excited to see what he would look like after the woman was finished.

After about five minutes she sat back and smiled, "Well, sweetie, you are now a 100% ferocious lion."

"Gracias, Snra." The boy stood up to face Margo, "How does it look?"

Margo burst out into laughter, "Well….ferocious isn't the word I would call it, but I think cute would be a nice fit."

Antonio quickly looked into the mirror only to see that he did not look like he was expecting to. Instead of a large and fierce beast, he was a cute and cuddly lion with little fangs and whiskers.

"It's okay," Margo tried to stop laughing, "I like it."

"Well, mi amour," Antonio swiftly pushed Margo toward the woman, "it is now your turn."

"Ummm…." Margo smiled awkwardly, "I thought we'd just get you done and then go back to the rollercoaster."

"The rollercoaster can wait until we are both painted, bella."

Margo sat in the chair in defeat, "Fine."

The woman smiled at her, "Now, what do you want to be, honey?"

Antonio stepped in before she could answer, "How about a kitten?"

"Perfect!" The woman began pulling out her paints as the girl in the chair sent a glare Antonio's way.

"Ooh, feisty kitty." He chuckled as the woman began painting her. It was only a few short minutes later when she was finished with her creation.

"Now isn't that precious." She smiled as she looked up at Antonio, "She looks downright adorable, doesn't she."

"Even cuter than she usually is, Snra." He smirked.

Margo practically flew out of the chair to look at herself in the mirror. What they said was true. Margo's face was transformed into that of a cute kitten's, complete with whiskers, a pink nose, and a grey and white striped combination that looked like fur.

"I have to get a picture of this", Antonio pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of her before she could object.

"Well then I get one of you, Mr. Cuddly." Margo took out her own phone and took a picture of her lion friend.

The Latino boy laughed and handed his phone to the woman, "Would you please take a photo of us, Snra."

"On mine too." Margo handed the woman her phone.

"No problem, dearies. This is just too cute." The woman smiled brightly as she took the photos and handed the phones back to their owners.

Antonio handed the woman the four dollars for their faces, "Have a nice day, Snra."

"You two kids have fun, okay?" The woman smiled brightly as they left.

"I can't believe you made me do that." Margo smiled, "I haven't had my face painted in a very long time."

"If I have to be a cute and cuddly lion, you can handle being a fluffy and adorable kitten." The boy laughed.

"Well, it is worth it to see you look like that." She walked into the rollercoaster line, which was near empty, "and now we get to keep pictures of this amazing occasion. Just try not to close your eyes this time."

* * *

About twenty minutes later, Margo was giggling at the picture in her hand, "I like it."

Antonio sighed as he examined the picture. Taken right at the beginning of the drop, the picture displayed his adorable lion face opened wide in a scream, making it seem like he was roaring with his arms flying above him. Next to him was the smiling kitten Margo, whose arms were held up high. One of her hands was clasped tightly in his as she laughed.

"At least my eyes are open." He smiled at the picture. Even if it was somewhat unflattering, he had made sure to buy several copies for Margo and himself. It was a nice memory, and one he doubted he would ever forget.

"So what next?" She smiled as placed a few of the photos in her phone case, and gave the others to Antonio and he tucked them away in his wallet.

"We could play some games. I'm sure I could win you a few prizes." He flipped his hair to the side casually.

"I'm all for playing games, but I can win prizes by myself."

A smirk grew on the boy's painted face, "Is that a challenge, bella?"

"Sure," She said confidently, "We compete at all the games. Whoever gets the most prizes will win."

"And what's the ultimate prize?"

"Other than the satisfaction of beating you when I win? How about…. you donate some of your fortune to the charities of my choosing."

"Fair enough," Antonio's smirk grew slightly, "but if I win, I get to give you one command that you cannot refuse to do."

He chuckled when he saw her stature shrink back a bit at his words, "No worries, it won't be anything like robbing a bank or telling me your darkest secrets. As I've said before, I am trying to turn over a new leaf."

"Sure you are." She said skeptically as she tried to calm herself down, "Oh well, it doesn't matter since I'll be the one to win."

"Don't get so overconfident, Margo, I've been told that it's a bad trait." He laughed.

"You've never even had your face painted before, so how good could you possibly be at the games here?"

"Let's see, shall we?"

* * *

"Me and my big mouth." Margo placed her head in her hands. She wished she could go back and smack herself in the face for thinking she could win a bet against Antonio Perez. He had started out slow on most of the games as he learned the rules and the tricks some had spent years trying to figure out, but after the first few tries, he seemed to perfect everything he did. He had even come close to winning the unicorn prize! The only thing that had stopped him from winning was Margo's sudden sneeze. Margo didn't do so badly, but even when she did manage to win a prize, Antonio won one as well.

They had now finished the games, and she had about fifteen prizes, but she had lost count of Antonio's when he reached over thirty. There was no way she would catch up in time to tie, let alone win. The only thing she could do was accept defeat and hope he didn't force her to do anything too drastic.

"And so ends our competition." Antonio smirked as he pulled the wagons he had been given for his prizes, "I think we both know who won."

Margo groaned, "Okay, so what do you want me to do?"

Antonio laughed, "How about you take all these stuffed animals home and tell me what charities are in the most need of money?"

Margo's nervousness turned to confusion in an instant, "What?"

"Did I not speak clearly enough?"

"No, it's just, wow," She smiled, "I didn't think you would do something like that."

"I told you, Margo, I'm starting over with my life. Doing good might help me in the end." He smiled at her, something that made his lion face paint even cuter than it was.

Margo smiled back at him, "Well, if you can help me get these home without it looking suspicious, I'd be happy to keep them. After that, I have a few ideas of which charities could use some money."

"We should start now then." Antonio began bagging up the many prizes.

"Wait," Margo pulled out one of the prizes she had won, a small cat similar to how her face had been painted, "I want you to keep this one. You know, to remember how fun this was."

"Thank you, mi amour." He smiled as he held it, "I shall cherish it as much as I do these memories."

They held eye contact for a few long moments as the sounds of joyful screams and loud music came from the park. Antonio opened his mouth as if to say something important to her, but was interrupted when Margo's phone rang again. The girl scrambled to answer it as she tried to hide her blush. Call her insane, but it almost seemed like he was going to ask her to be his girlfriend again.

"Where are you?!" Derek's voice screamed, "We've looked everywhere we can think of!"

"Oh, I'm, umm…" Her voice trailed off as she tried to think of a decent excuse in between all her flustered thoughts.

"You're with him, aren't you? Mar, you said you wouldn't-"

"Derek, I'm fine and I'm sorry, but please do not tell my family about this. If they ask, I walked home, okay? And please try to buy me some time before they come back. I promise I'll be safe." Margo pleaded.

She heard him grumble a few words and sigh, "You are so lucky we're best friends. Just do me a favor and be careful, alright?"

"Thank you so much, Derek."

"Yeah, yeah." He groaned, "I better see you later."

"You will. I promise." Margo hung up the phone and sighed, "We are so lucky he's my best friend."

"I guess we should get you home then." Antonio packed the prizes into compartments of different sizes he had attached to the motorcycle, "At least then you would be almost telling the truth."

Margo gratefully accepted his hand and got on the bike. It seemed like he was no longer going to say to her what he was planning to, and that made her even more nervous than before. Was he going to ask her out, or was it something unimportant? A lot was going through her mind her right now between, Gru and Derek's protectiveness, actually outwitting Antonio, and having such a fun time today, but the one thought that kept pestering her wouldn't let go.

_"If he would have asked you out, would you have said yes?"_


	12. A Genuine Confession

"Hurry!" Margo rushed Antonio as they hastily placed the many stuffed animals in a spare closet.

"Sorry, I wasn't aware I was eating cookies and having a tea party." Antonio rolled his eyes but smiled, "Tell me again why these can't be in your room, bella?"

"What would I tell Gru? 'Hey, yeah, I came home and the room was full of stuffed animals. Weird, right?'"

Antonio chuckled as he placed the last of the animals in the closet, "I suppose that would seem strange."

Margo sighed contently as she stepped away and closed the closet door, "Now all we have to do is get you out of here and it will look like nothing happened."

"What about them?" Antonio gestured to the little yellow minions peeking at them from the door.

"They won't tell." She looked at the minions, "Unless they want me to tell Gru about the golf incident, that is."

The minions suddenly became terrified and began shouting odd things in their language. Margo laughed at them.

"They won't tell."

"You can understand them?"

"I've been here long enough to learn what the minion's mean at least." She smiled at him. She was no longer painted like a kitten, but the smile was still cute to Antonio. He looked around the small spare room to see that they had missed a toy, a little stuffed lion to be exact.

"Looks like this poor chico was left out." He picked it up and opened the closet door. He was about to set it with the rest when Margo stopped him.

"Wait!" She grabbed the lion from his hands, "I think I'll keep this one in my room."

"And what will you tell your father?"

"I'll think of something." She looked away from him and focused on the lion, "I think he's cute."

"Cuter than me, Margo?" The boy smirked and flipped his hair to the side.

She didn't answer his question as she rolled her eyes and walked out of the room, "You need to leave before Gru gets here. He'll do worse than just freeze you if he catches you here with me."

Antonio quickly reached out and grabbed her hand as a sudden realization came over him. He still hadn't told her why he had taken her out, or about the traditions of the Perez motorcycle. If he left now, it would be breaking the traditional promise every Perez man makes.

"Is... something wrong?" The girl blushed slightly at his touch.

"I still haven't told you about the tradition of my bike. You were curious, weren't you?"

"Yeah, but Gru could be home at any time now. Once he finds Derek and gets told I'm here, he'll practically fly here."

"Getting frozen and all the other things your father will do to me is worth telling you about this."

"Fine," Margo looked up into his brown eyes, "If it means that much to you, I'm all ears."

Antonio sighed in relief at his words, but tensed again after remembering that she still might say no even after they had had such a great day together.

"You see, Margo, the tradition of the motorcycle has been around since my great, great, great, great grandfathers in Spain have started it. You see, when a Perez man finds true lo…. a true feeling of a certain emotion, he must take the target of that emotion with him on a motorcycle ride. It doesn't matter where you go or how you go, just that at the end of the ride, you tell the person why you took only them and never anyone else."

"A-Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Margo looked up at his sincere eyes. Although she was scared, she felt as though she could get lost in their warmth.

"Margo Gru," Antonio grabbed her hands over the stuffed lion and looked into her brown eyes, "I have fallen completely in love with you. You've managed to change me from my evil ways with just a simple plan and the amazing heart you possess. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness for anything I've done, but hurting you was my biggest mistake. I never thought the day would come when I would fall in love, but you've somehow managed to make me do just that."

Margo was stunned at his words. Her mind kept screaming it was a trick to get back at her, but somehow she knew that wasn't true. She could see it in his eyes. He was telling the truth. Antonio Perez had really fallen in love with her.

"So will you take me back even after all the terrible things I've done to you?"

"Antonio, I-" Just as Margo was about to give him an answer, the sound of the front door slamming open thundered throughout the house.

"Margo! Are you here?!" Gru's voice boomed as his footsteps echoed up the stairs where her room was.

"Hide!" Margo pushed Antonio into the closet and grabbed a book that she had left lying on a table a few days ago. She put on her best composed face and walked out the spare room to her room where Gru was grumbling.

"Hello, Gru."

"Ah! Margo! You're here!" Gru turned to her in surprise.

"Were you expecting me not to be?" She casually looked up from her book.

"Well I thought that you would be with that blond boy, but then I couldn't find him and remembered that other devious boy you wanted to destroy, so I went to his restaurant and you weren't there so I called you and you hung up on me. I tried looking for that Duffin boy for the longest time, but when I found him, he told me you were here. Why?"

"Well after you freaked out about Derek and I planning to trick Antonio, we left to get some food, but something came up and Derek had to do something else for a while. I decided to walk home and plan further ahead when you called. Needless to say I was very upset that my own father couldn't trust me to make good decisions."

Gru frowned and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder, "I'm sorry, kitten. I just don't want to see you get hurt anymore. Whenever you go places with boys, it scares me. I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy, Gru." The girl gave an annoyed sigh as she closed her book, "I would be much happier if you trusted me though."

"It's not you I don't trust, Margo. It's the boys I'm worried about."

"Gru," Margo looked up at her father, "I can handle the boys by myself. If I get hurt, it's just life. You have to let me make my own decisions in life. You can't protect me forever."

As a tense silence hung in the air, Gru's grimace slowly turned into a soft smile, "Okay, Margo. As much as it will make me hurt and rage inside, I will leave the boy handling to you, but if I by chance see anything I don't like, I will freeze them with no hesitation, and I trust you to use the lipstick tazer when needed."

"Thanks, Gru." Margo hugged her father, "It means a lot to hear you say that."

"Anything to make my daughter happy." Their touching father daughter moment was interrupted by the sudden ring of Lucy's voiced through a transmitting device.

"Gru, sweetie, I know your busy trying to needlessly track down Margo and whatnot, but we need you back at base for an emergency weapon repair."

"Can't it wait, Lucy? I'm in the middle of things."

"Sorry, Gru-bear, but this is urgent."

Gru groaned and let go of his daughter, "Fine, I'll be there soon."

"Yay! Love you, Gru-bear!" Lucy giggled into the transmitter before clicking off.

Margo laughed as she saw her father turn red at Lucy's words of affection, "You two are so cute."

"Yes," Gru coughed to cover up his embarrassment, "Well, I am off to help save the world!"

"Good luck." Margo gave her dad a quick hug before he left the room.

"I am glad we had this little heart to heart, Margo!" He smiled as he walked the stairs, "I will see you later!"

"Bye, Gru!" Margo waved to her father as he closed the door and walked out to his car. Once she had seen him leave, she placed the book on her bed and practically ran back to where she had left Antonio. Her mind was still buzzing from his confession, and she felt like she was floating on air as she finally reached the spare room.

"Antonio?" She called as she reached for the closet doors. She opened them only to reveal the large pile of stuffed animals that they had placed there earlier. It seemed that Antonio had disappeared. Margo felt the sudden familiar emotion of heartbreak start to beat upon her. Of course it was a lie. Antonio would never learn how to love. He-

"Is it safe to come out now?" Antonio's voice rang throughout the room. Margo carefully looked around the small space as a relief came over her when she realized he hadn't really left. But where was he?

"Yeah." She said hesitantly as she glanced at all the possible hiding places in the room, "Gru's gone. Where are you?"

"Right in front of you, bella." His voice called. Margo was sure it came from the pile of stuffed animals, but that couldn't be possible. Unless…

"Are you under all the prizes?" She laughed as she began moving the animals, eventually revealing a smirking Antonio.

"Found me."

"What are doing hiding there?"

"I may have gotten a little jumpy when Mr. Gru came back. I see no shame in it." He shrugged his shoulders coolly.

"If he had found these stuffed animals, he probably would have moved them anyway." Margo continued laughing at the Latino boy.

"I was under pressure." Antonio smiled up at her, "It worked, didn't it?"

"That's only because he wasn't suspicious." Margo playfully rolled her eyes.

He chuckled, "I suppose I look foolish then?"

Margo pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of the moment and showed him, "No, it's cute."

"I'm glad I can amuse you." He held out his hand, "Care to help me up?"

The girl grabbed his hand and helped him escape the small mountain of stuffed animals, "You know, for such a cool guy, you can be ridiculously silly at times."

"Only when I'm with you, mi amour." The boy gave her a breathtakingly beautiful smile, "Now, about the question I asked earlier. May I have an answer?"

Margo blushed heavily and tried to compose herself before looking into his eyes, "Antonio, in the past you've really hurt me. When you ditched me at the party, I felt like my whole world was crashing down. I was blinded by my lovesickness for you, and you just instantly ripped me apart."

She could see regret in his gorgeous eyes as she continued, "But in the past day, you've managed to make me feel lighter than air even without dulling me into a lovesick trance like before. I don't think I've ever had as much fun as I did when I was with you today, and I'd like to have a lot more days like this with you. I know it seems crazy, and I can't believe you've made me feel this way so quickly, but I think I'm still in love with you. I'm going to give you one more chance to prove you feel the same."

Antonio could not hold back his happiness as he hugged the girl tightly in his arms, "You won't regret this, Margo. I swear on the honor of the Perez family name that I will do my best to treat you like you truly deserve to be treated, with the greatest love, respect, and care."

Margo hugged him back, "You're just a regular Romeo, aren't you?"

"Only for you, mi amour."

She smiled before letting out a worried sigh, "Please don't make me regret this, Antonio. My heart can't take it."

"So long as I breathe, I will do anything to make you happy and prevent your sadness." He spoke softly.

And when she looked up at him, Margo could only see the genuine truth and love shine in his eyes.


	13. Deal With A Sister

After their confession of feelings, Antonio stayed with Margo and the minions doing whatever came to mind. They had played golf, cards, extreme darts, ping pong, and much more. Antonio and Margo weren't into it much though, they spent most of the time either cuddling with or gazing at each other. A pure bliss filled Margo's heart when he had held her hand, but he sadly had to leave before Gru came back (resulting in their new relationship being discovered in the worst of ways).

Now, Margo was curled up on the couch with her small stuffed lion beside her and a good book in her hands. Her father and sisters had come home around an hour ago, and considering that she was not grounded from now until she graduated college, Gru had no idea about her relationship status with Antonio. Everything seemed absolutely perfect.

"Girls! Time for bed!" Gru called as he pushed Edith and Agnes up the stairs, "And Margo, no staying up all night texting your little friends. I have a big surprise tomorrow!"

"Does it have anything to do with the spy call from Lucy? Are you saving the world again?" Margo smiled as she closed her book and stood.

"Well it's not a surprise if you tell everyone, Margo." Gru groaned.

"Cool," Edith's face lit up, "Do I get to operate a jelly gun again? Or how about spying on a bad dude? Oh well, as long as I get to kick some guy butt I'll be happy."

Gru picked Agnes and her up, "There will be none of the butt kicking for you girls."

"Aww man." Edith crossed her arms, "That's no fun."

Margo watched as they disappeared up the stairs and chuckled at the thought of Edith sneaking into the AVL base, which she was sure would happen sooner or later. How fun it would be to see how Gru reacted then. Margo was sure her sister was going to follow in Gru's footsteps and become an agent of some kind, and a rather good one at that.

Picking up her lion, Margo started up the stairs. Since she had already brushed her teeth and changed into her pajamas, she was able to simply go to her room and crawl into her bed. She could faintly hear Edith pestering Gru about the lack of action and Agnes's giggling as Gru tried to get her to brush her teeth.

It was then, when she was standing beside her bed, that her phone buzzed in her hands. She smiled when she saw she had received a text from both Derek and Antonio, who had gotten her number before he left.

After Atonio had left, Margo made sure to text her friend and assure him of her well being, and she had spent about thirty minutes being interrogated by him, but after she had explained everything, Derek had calmed down enough to talk about other matters (though she knew he was still very untrusting of Antonio). As for Antonio, she had typed his name in her phone as "A" so her father wouldn't become too suspicious of her texting.

She read the one from Derek first.

**I'm glad the date went well, but I hope you know I'm still not happy about this whole Antonio thing. You're lucky I trust you enough to let it happen. Anyways, I'm tired and need beauty sleep now, so goodnight. :/**

She quickly typed in a reply and checked Antonio's message.

**But you are so beautiful when you blush, Margo. Though you are beautiful all time ;)**

A slight reddish color graced her cheeks as she read over the message and swiftly replied.

**That's no reason to keep giving me all these compliments. You can't even see my face.**

It wasn't long before she received a reply.

**Even if I cannot see your gorgeous face redden, I must speak the truth of your inner and outer beauty that outshines all others. You deserve to hear of all the wonderful traits you possess.**

Margo's light shade of red turned darker as she read over the message a few times. She had never expected Antonio would be so sweet and thoughtful. When they were "dating" before, he had hardly paid her any attention whatsoever, but now that he had once again asked her out, he had been showering her in compliments and sincere words of love and admiration. It was a bit surprising for her.

Although she wanted to believe he had truly fallen for her, Margo was still hesitant about it. Antonio had already broken her heart once, and she was not willing to let him do it a second time, but she admitted that just thinking of his name made her heart flutter and her feel lighter than air. She was in love, even if she didn't want to be quite yet.

"I'm going to bed so I can dream about kicking bad guy butt!" Margo heard Edith shout from the bathroom as Gru groaned more objections at her. Quickly, Margo texted her boyfriend goodnight and tried to act casual as she stood in the center of the room where she had aimlessly paced in thought. Not a second later, Edith came running in at a fast pace whilst objecting to her father's defiance to her spy dreams. She was so focused and determined to win her argument with the man, who was still trying to get Agnes ready for bed, that she ran into her older sister. Margo stumbled back and Edith fell on her backside.

"Ow," Margo hissed, "Edith, you know not to run in the-"

"Woah, no way." Edith scrambled to grab something on the ground. Casually, Margo looked over, and felt the world come to an end as she noticed what it was. She had dropped her phone, and the case had fallen off, resulting in the spilling of the wallet sized photos of her face painted rollercoaster rode with Antonio.

"Edith, I can explain." She said hesitantly as she reached out for the photos. Edith held them behind her back with a thin frown on her face.

"This picture is recent, isn't it? Like from today."

Margo could only nod as her sister's groan of disapproval filled the room.

"How could you be on a," She blanched, "date with this guy after what that guy did to you, Margo? After her cheated on you, you wouldn't even yell at me when I called that lady fat or spilled juice all over the floor, and you always yell at me!"

"Well…"Margo drifted off. She herself couldn't explain why she had the feelings of joy and happiness when thinking of him, or what had caused her to forgive him so easily (even if he had given her about fifty stuffed animals and promised to donate money to her old orphanage). All she knew was that her heart always skipped a beat and she quit breathing when he held her hand and told her how happy he was that she forgave him.

"I'm telling Gru." Edith stood up with the pictures in hand, "He'll have to stop you from getting hurt again."

Margo quickly grabbed her sister's hands, "One word and I blab all about you and that Elijah kid from Karate Kicks Dojo at the mall."

"What?" Edith tried her best to hide her embarrassment, "I do not like Elijah. He picks fights with me and calls me names."

"Maybe because you start the fights and pick on him first?"

"Do not!" Edith screamed as her faced turned a light shade of pink, "I hate Elijah and you know it! He even stole my hat yesterday, and you know how much I hate that!"

"You like him," Margo smirked at having the advantage, "and if you spill anything about Antonio and I, I'll be sure to inform Gru all about it, and your little friends too. How do you think would they feel if they knew that the strong and powerful Edith has a crush?"

Edith was silent as she contemplated her stressful options before finally shouting, "Fine! Have it your way!"

Margo swiftly grabbed her pictures back from Edith and placed them safely back inside her phone case. It seemed she had done so just in time when Gru came through the door carrying Anges on his shoulders.

"I need to find a way to make you brush your teeth without all the dealing and unicorn toys." He groaned at his youngest daughter as he walked in and then looked down at his other two little darlings, "And what were you two yelling about in here?"

"Nothing." Their words came out in sync. Gru was skeptical but just rolled his eyes and put Agnes in bed.

"Well whatever it was, just go to bed and get some sleep for tomorrow."

Margo and Edith both hopped into their bomb beds and covered themselves. Gru took his time giving each of his daughters a goodnight kiss and hug. He only paused when he noticed Margo's stuffed lion.

"Where did you get that?"

"Oh," She looked at the lion and tried to come up with an excuse, "I bought it at the mall."

"Why? It is useless mall junk. What do you need it for?"

"I think he's cute," Margo hugged the toy close to her body, "and after a little bit, I really started to fall in love with him. I just had to buy him."

Gru shrugged his shoulders and re-wished his girls goodnight before closing the door and leaving to kiss the minions goodnight. Margo took the opportunity to read Antonio's last message to her.

**Sleep well, mi amour. I hope you have dreams that are as blissful as the ones I have when I dream of you.**

She blushed at his words and turned her phone off for the night. Her heart was racing at the thought of his signature flirtatious smile he was no doubt wearing right now.

Yeah, she had definitely fallen in love with her little lion.


	14. A Change In Plans

"Wow," Margo stared at the sight in front of her, "and here I thought you could never top Super Silly Fun Land."

"I aim to impress." Antonio flipped his hair to the side with a satisfied smile placed on his face, "Nothing is too grand for our first official date."

"Yeah, but isn't this a little too much for even that? You must have spent forever on this." Her smile grew as she looked away from the sight and up at her boyfriend.

"I may or may not have stayed up until three in the morning to complete the plan and preparations, but it was well worth the time to see the bright smile on your face." He reached out to grab her hand, "It's become one of my most favorite sights in the world."

A slight blush began to glow on her face, "You're really going to have to stop doing that."

"Stop doing what?"

"Being so sweet." She glanced at the grass, "It makes me blush like crazy."

"But how could I not treat such a beautiful and sweet girl like the princess she truly is?" He tilted her chin up so that she faced him, "And your blushing face is one of the most adorable sights I've ever seen. It only makes sense that I would put all my effort into making my girlfriend happy."

Margo's face exploded with a deep red color. It was the first time he had actually called her his girlfriend, and her racing heart wasn't letting her forget it. The word sounded so natural for him to say, as if they had been dating for a few months instead of just getting together the previous night.

He let out a chuckle as he guided her to the special picnic he had spent all night working on. It was no plain and traditional picnic (the very thought of doing something so predictable put shame to the Perez name). He had prepared all of the dishes himself, ensuring that everything was made fresh and filled with love. That task had taken him a few hours, and had been the easiest by far. Cooking was nothing compared to the time he spent arranging everything so that things would be absolutely perfect. He had planned this date so it would be the best thing Margo had ever experienced.

First, they would start out with an isolated picnic in a small clearing of the woods that belonged to the Perez estate. After that, he would take her on a special trip to the zoo (for which he paid extra for the butterflies at the garden to spell out "I love you, Margo Gru" with their wings upon command). Once they had finished their stroll through the zoo, he would take her to the flower gardens (where he had prepared several bouquets of every color daffodil he could find to be placed at each stopping point. After they had done that, it was off to his privately owned beach to watch the sunset and have a moonlit walk on the sand.

Furthermore, he had made sure that no one (especially Gru) would find them. Antonio knew that he had pledged to let Margo have her space and let her deal with boys herself, but he somehow doubted that the rule applied to him. Margo had explained to him that Gru was on another mission, and would be stationed at Richman's Golfing Society as a cattie, but, just in case, Antonio had made sure that everywhere they went would stay Gru free.

He couldn't hold back his smile as the pride of thinking of absolutely everything swelled within him. It was a perfect plan, one that he was quite proud of, and most importantly, one that would show Margo how serious he was about loving her. Everything would be wonderful.

Or so he had thought before the sky began to drop water on their heads.

As the first rain droplet hit his nose, he realized that he had forgotten that the weatherman was not a dependable source on which he could rely, and that he should have planned for at least one indoor activity in case an event such as the current rain were to pour down on them.

He heard her beautiful laugh as she pulled him away from his perfectly arranged picnic and under the cover of a large tree. Granted they still got a bit wet every now and then, but it was nothing compared to the droplets of water now drowning and ruining all of his home cooked food. A sour look crossed his face at the thought of Mother Nature ruining his first official date with Margo. How was he going to prove himself and know that he had truly won her over if he couldn't do anything he had planned?

"Why the pouty look?" Margo laughed, causing his head to snap over in her direction. She was actually having _fun_ while all of his hard work was being destroyed before his eyes?

"Everything I planned to impress you with was outdoors." He gave an irritated sigh, "My entire plan has been ruined."

"Who cares about a plan?" She gently smacked his arm, "No offense, but you don't have to plan everything we do for us to have a good time. We improvised yesterday and still had a blast, right?"

"But there was so much I wanted to do with you today to prove to you how much you mean to me." He groaned, "Now I have nothing in mind."

"Antonio, I know you care about me, and you know I care about you. There's no need to make a huge plan and do crazy stuff like," She paused to think of something over the top and dramatic (a classic Antonio taste), "have three million flowers left at my doorstep or spell my name out in fireworks. I like simple things too."

"Three million flowers…" Antonio mumbled in a deep thought, "That's a good idea."

"Antonio! Hello!" Margo snapped her fingers in front of him to capture his attention, "That wasn't what you were supposed to pick up from that statement."

"But, mi amour," Antonio looked at her and smiled at the way her wet hair only added to her cuteness, "I only want the best for you. You deserve my crazy and extreme plans that shower you in affections."

Margo's cheeks dusted with a slight pink, "Even so, you don't have to stay up into the early hours of the morning just to plan an extravagant and unreasonably expensive date for me. It's the simple things in life that make me happy."

"And what would those things be?"

"Well," The girl thought for a moment, "talking to my friends, reading a good book, watching movies, and spending time with you are a few things to name."

"Spending time with me?" Antonio chuckled as a twinge of color came to his face, "Does that mean you're having a good time with me right now?"

Margo nodded, "Of course, it might be raining, but you're still here with me, aren't you? That's all that really matters to me."

The boy's blush deepened as he thought about her words, something that transformed him from an extremely flirtatious and attractive Latino boy into a cute and huggable teddy bear in Margo's eyes.

"So are you willing to give a simple date a try?" She smiled at his blushing form. His eyes darted up to meet hers and a grin spread across his attractive face. In almost an instant, he was even closer to her, holding her hands in his own.

"Only if I'm able to take you on my extravagant dates every now and then."

Margo laughed softly as she gave him a toothy smile, "Deal."

* * *

Antonio wasn't quite sure what to make of the current scene in front of him. Sure, he had seen this type of thing happen on TV, but he had never actually done this before. There were so many people walking all around him, and of course the occasional person who was smart enough to notice how perfect he looked even with the puzzled expression he wore, and openly stared at him until they noticed his hand clasped in Margo's. The smell of popcorn filled the air and the sound of people chatting and arguing over which movie to watch was loud in his ears.

Margo had taken him to the local cinema.

It surprised him that this place was still in business. Who could possibly enjoy seeing a movie in a dark room surrounded by annoying people and children you've never met before who whisper and laugh during the movie? For all he knew, there could be a psycho killer or an extremely contagious sick person sitting right next to him or Margo. Not to mention that he had already seen most of the movies that were available in his private home theater (as a prospering millionaire, he had many connections).

"Hmmm….. What should we see?" Antonio's eyes flashed down to see Margo looking at the wall lined with movie posters with a perplexed expression. A smile came to his face at the sight. Even if he hadn't particularly enjoyed the movies so far, the happiness Margo displayed when she brought him here was more than enough to keep him at the very least content. He would gladly give up all the money and possessions he had just to see her breathtakingly beautiful smile, so going to the movies to make her happy was an understatement of his determination.

"Anything you'd like, bella." He gave her hand a light squeeze as her eyes continuously ran over their options.

"That wasn't helpful at all, Antonio." She rolled her eyes, "We need to find a movie we both like. Anything in particular you look for in a movie?"

"I prefer something with a little action, and you?"

"Anything with a good plot. I like the thought that goes into the real meaning and story behind the action."

Antonio smiled at her, "That's quite the unique answer."

"Well it's the truth," Margo tried to dismiss her blush, "When I watch a movie, I like it to be something that has a real meaning, something that will be full of action and wonders and leave me thinking about it for days. I like movies that mean something special to the producer and team. When that happens, you can really see it through their work."

"I see." Antonio nodded as his eyes grazed over the options, "So a pointless sounding movie such as 'Two Ducks; One Monkey; Three Years of Prison' is not something you would enjoy?"

"I don't think it's something that anyone would enjoy." She laughed, "Some producers will make anything for money, but the ones who really care put time and effort into their movies are different. Movies like-"

"Escape From Prison 6?" Antonio finished off her statement with an added air that hinted he was asking a question. His eyes were locked on a particular movie poster that was just a bit unlike the others. Of course, it had its clichés, but the image of two boys and a girl covered in grime and sweat behind bars whilst an evil looming creature hid in the background seemed rather promising for him to enjoy (as it was one of the few he had never seen before). He could only hope Margo found it equally as interesting.

"I've seen previews for that one." She grinned as she looked at the poster, not believing she had skimmed over it while looking for a good movie, "It's about a pair of siblings and their friend trying to escape an evil prison that is as big as the Amazon. It supposedly takes place on Earth in the year 3001, when the leftovers from the last world wars were put into a 'safe place' that was later infected with creatures of some sort."

"Sounds like it has a nice plot." Antonio smiled at her.

"And lots of action." She said in a sing-song voice.

"Then it is decided. 'Escape From Prison 6' it is. Let's go." He began walking in the direction of the movie screening areas when Margo caught his arm.

"Where are you going?"

Antonio quirked a brow at her, "To see the movie. What else?"

Margo let out a hearty laugh at his adorable and genuine confusion, "You have to pay for a ticket first! Don't tell me you've never been to the movies before either?"

"It's not funny, Margo. I am a millionaire. I have a private home theater that puts this one to shame. I have no reason to come here." Antonio straightened his posture and flipped his hair in an embarrassed annoyance.

"It's okay." Her laugh died down, "I'll help you figure it out. Now you go buy the tickets, and I will get us some snacks and drinks. We can meet at the bench beside the ladies restroom when we're done, okay?"

She began to walk away when he grabbed her hand again. She looked back at him to see a twinge of embarrassment on his attractive face.

"Where exactly do I buy the tickets?"

The only answer she could give him was her amused laughter.


	15. Movies and Dancing

After the movie, Antonio could only think of one word to describe how he felt.

Stunned

The film had surprised him with twists and turns at every corner, and the ending had completely caught him off guard. It was so well made and the story captivated him right from the start. The director and producers were geniuses (he would be sure to give them a call when he was ready to film his autobiography film, "Heart of a Lion, The Story of Antonio Perez".) He couldn't believe he wasn't completely ecstatic when Margo had brought him here. For someone who knew so little about dating, she had an amazing talent for choosing the perfect things to do for a date.

"I can't believe it ended like that." Margo said as she watched the credits roll, "I don't want to believe that's the end. There's no way that's all. "

"A sequel is in store perhaps?" Antonio tried to play off his surprise with a wave of his hand, "I doubt they would leave us with just this."

"But they killed Xander!" She turned to face him, "How can there be a movie without Xander!?"

"What if he isn't dead? He said so himself, the prison needs him." Antonio reasoned, "It wouldn't kill him just yet."

Margo pursed her lips in thought, "Maybe, but what about Diane then? The prison needed her too, but she and Jack got out."

"I'm assuming Xander's essence will be enough to keep it running until they come back to get him. Diane would never let her brother suffer in there alone, and Jack would follow her because not only is Xander his best friend, but also because-"

"He's still in love with Diane even though she can't see it." Margo perked up as her nerves eased, "So there might be a sequel after all."

"If not, I'll personally fund it." Antonio let out a smile, "I don't think I could go on living without knowing what happens next."

"Me either." She laughed, but was soon interrupted by the sound of the credits song ending and another scene coming on the screen. Anyone left in the theater was silent as they watched with eyes full of anticipation. Normally, the scenes after credits are silly, something that may have taken out of the movie or of very little significance, but this movie had nothing normal about it so far.

As the scene popped up, it looked like the overview of a fallen city. Skeletons and pieces of the eroding buildings covered the cracked and desolate roads. It was all still, no sound or movement could be detected. The camera zoomed in to a specific bone until it was crushed by a sudden movement. The scene flashed up to meet Diane and Jack running for their lives once again. Suddenly, a narration in Diane's voice came up.

"Isn't it funny how when we hope so much for one thing, we forget that it's not as good as we think it will be, and when we finally get it, it's too late to act unthankful?" She laughed dryly, "I'm only thirteen. I was born into a world of destruction and placed into Prison 6 for no reason. Jack lost his real arm for no reason. Xander was taken from us for no reason. Now, I'm going to find the reason."

"Diane!" Jack intruded the narration as he threw the girl a pistol. Diane nodded at him and glanced back at her followers, more of the Warden's monsters, the failed prototypes, the ones the prison throws out. Without a second thought, she shoots one and ducks around a corner while Jack takes a few more shots to cover her. After he's almost out of rounds, he turns the corner and reloads his gun.

"I wonder how hard it will be to get back in now that we got out?" He forced a small smile as he adjusted his prosthetic.

"Not too hard." She smiled bitterly, "It's waiting for me to find my brother."

"You really think it's just going to let you in with no problems?"

The scene faded to black as multiple scenes of gunfire, screaming, blood, and more hideous creatures flashed. The music was loud, almost deafening, but then it came to a sudden halt.

"We'll just have to see, won't we?"

With that, the screen faded black and the signature sound of Xander's call echoed in the deep laugh of the prison. Then, the lights began to click on one by one, brightening up the pathways.

Margo stayed in her seat as she tried to make sense of how she felt. On one hand, she was ecstatic for a sequel, but then again, she would have to wait months and possibly a year for closure. What kind of movie gives you the trailer for the sequel at the end anyway? The producers must have felt quite confident in their film, and they had good reason to, but now her mind was even more scatterbrained than before. Her mind raced over the several topics until she felt Antonio grab her hand and tug her up.

"We should be going, bella." He stretched his tired arms and legs, "I believe I have thought of our next activity."

"Nothing too extravagant?" She quirked a brow at him as she too stood and stretched her arms that had been still for so long.

"Not yet." He smiled as he grabbed their empty popcorn bucket and drinks with one hand and her hand with the other, "but I believe you will enjoy it just as much."

"Well then I can't wait to see what you have in store." She smiled as they walked into the brightly lit hallways of the cinema, "but first I have to go to the restroom."

As he nodded and watched her walk away, he briskly threw his trash in the bin and dialed a number on his phone. There were a few rings before a female voice came through.

"Yes, Mr. Antonio?"

"Ah, Snra. Donita. It is such a pleasure to hear your voice after your pregnancy leave. How is young Michelangelo?"

"He's doing just fine, Sir." He could practically hear her motherly smile through the phone, "Now, what do you need?"

"Can you get me some connections with Impartial Studios?" He asked casually, "I would like to speak to the production team."

"Am I right in assuming this is the same Impartial Studios that just released 'Escape From Prison 6'?" He could faintly hear her typing away on her keyboard.

"So you know of them." He smiled, "I would like to receive a copy of the sequel to their latest movie, should it exist, and have delivered to my home within a few hours."

"I don't know if they'd be willing to give it to you even if they did have it made, Sir, but I will try my best to get it to you. Should I use the 'other' forms of persuasion should they refuse?"

Antonio smiled at the thought, but dismissed it as quickly as it came, "No, I don't think that would be in our best interests."

"Okay. I'll see what I can do then." He heard her typing speed increase as she tried to hide her shock. Antonio couldn't blame her. He NEVER denied using the _special_ techniques he had learned from villains world-wide in order to get what he wanted, "Have a nice day, Mr. Antonio."

"Gracias, Snra. Donita. You have a wonderful day as well." He clicked the end call button and slipped his phone back into his pocket. He let out a shocked sigh as he looked at the ugly patterned ceiling. Had he _really_ just refused to use blackmail and mental torture against others to get what he wanted? He _always_ agreed to wicked and brutal things if it meant getting something he desired in return.

His eyes drifted over to the bathroom door where Margo had disappeared. She had changed him more than he had originally thought. It would take a while to get used to doing things the good way from now on, but it was worth it. If he committed an evil act and Margo found out, he shuddered at what she might do (as she was her father's daughter, adopted or not).

As if his thoughts had summoned her, Margo exited the restroom. A bright smile found its way to his face as he looked at her. It seemed her mere presence was enough to make him happier than he had ever been in the past. Even something as simple as her smile gave him this inexplicable feeling that put him on the infamous "cloud 9".

"Ready to go?" He asked as they began walking out of the cinema.

"I am so excited to see this oh so special surprise you suddenly thought of." She giggled.

"I'm sure you will love it, bella. 100% Perez guaranteed."

* * *

"Are you sure I can do this, Antonio?" Margo looked at the machine in front of her nervously, "I'm not sure I'll be very good since I've never done this before."

"You'll do just fine Margo. Just go with the rhythm. I know you'll do great, and I'll be right beside you." Antonio eased his girlfriend onto the gamepad.

"If you say so." Margo straightened up and looked at the large display screen flashing the intimidating words "Dance Maniac: Inferno Edition". She had seen commercials for this game. Apparently, it sensed your entire body movement from head to toe to see how well you replicated the moves on the screen. She never had much experience in dancing. Usually, she just copied what others were doing to the best of her capability and hoped for the best. Hopefully, this game wouldn't be too difficult and her method of dancing wouldn't have to differ much.

She hadn't known what to think when Antonio had brought her to the arcade (if she could call it such a common name). It was more of a gamer's paradise complete with lounging areas, desktops, laptops, old games and new ones lining the walls and even a place to buy food. It looked like it was amazingly expensive and high class for an arcade (if that was even possible). She could only wonder what Antonio's personal arcade looked like. Apparently, this was "a small comparison" to what he owned privately, but wanted to make things more casual and comfortable for her.

_"Well,"_ She thought, _"I suppose this is casual for someone as rich as he is."_

She watched in anticipation as Antonio pushed the quarters into the slot and began scrolling through songs. One by one he glanced at and judged the titles. He finally reached one in particular he approved of.

"Remember this one, mi amour?" He smiled at her as the music began to play "Where Them Girls At", the song she and Antonio danced to before he broke her heart into a million pieces.

Margo shook the last part out of her mind. She should focus on the fun she had with him instead of the pain he had caused her that night, "How could I forget?"

"And now we shall dance to it one more." He selected the song and their two default avatars popped up on the screen. It appeared Margo was a female red-headed hippie while Antonio was a male blond street performer complete with saggy pants and a backwards hat. Margo could only giggle a little before the numbers flashing on the screen captivated her full attention.

"3, 2, 1," The fake voice shouted, "Go!"

And so began her competition with the King of Dance.


	16. Stereotypes and Jealousy

Antonio was quite surprised at how the game had turned out, but it was a rather pleasant surprise to say the least.

He knew Margo was at least decent, but it turned out she was a very skilled dancer who could copy any moves she saw. Not to mention that once she got a hold on the pattern of the moves, she could close her eyes and really get into the movements. Antonio never thought someone could rival him at dancing in any form, but he didn't mind a fierce competition in the ways of dance by any means. In the Perez family, the way you danced reflected the passion of your soul, and Margo's soul seemed full of the fieriest passion he had ever seen in a non-Perez.

Currently, they were on their third song, "Circus" by Brittany Spears. The moves were a bit… much for Margo in his opinion, but as he glanced over at her, she seemed not to mind with her eyes closed as if she were the only one in the room. She moved so free and naturally that Antonio actually slipped up a bit from being so focused on her, and it seemed he wasn't the only one to take notice.

A small crowd of people had formed around them a few minutes ago and it had only been growing since then. It seemed almost every person in the arcade had nothing better to do than watch them and cheer for one of them to win. Predictably, most of the girls cheered for him, which wasn't distracting on its own, but it was Margo's fanbase that cause him to misstep every few moves or so.

"Come on, Glasses, dance his pretty boy butt off the stage!" Came a male shout. Antonio grimaced at the name 'glasses' for Margo. She was so much more than that, but at least none of them referred to her as 'skirt' (otherwise he wouldn't be able to ignore the urge to destroy them with every ounce of power he held in his name).

He had never considered himself the jealous type, and he _never_ thought that he would feel overly protective of his dates. Then again, most of the girls he had ever dated were so awed by him that he need not worry about such a thing as them being swiped away from him (not that he would have cared if it had happened). However, as the shouts from the guys at the arcade kept cheering "Glasses" on, his temper was ever so slowly rising. He couldn't remember any other time when he wanted everyone to ignore him and his date as if they weren't there (he usually rather enjoyed the attention), but there was a first time for everything, no matter how random or unreasonable.

"Come on, cute dark haired guy!" A female cheer cried, "Don't be beaten by that geek!"

Antonio felt his temper slightly flare at the word "geek". He despised the pure shallowness using that word brought to the unknown girl. How dare she refer to Margo as "geek". Margo was a beautiful and delicate creature that deserved the highest respect from her peers, not to be brought down by their words. Margo was no more a simple geek than he was a simple pretty boy. They each had a depth and true character to them that could not be characterized into a few simple words or stereotypes. If only their adoring onlookers could see beneath their appearances.

He smiled at the thought. How nice it would be for people to know how truly wonderful Margo was. He could tell she was shy in most cases, so it was likely that the eyes of her peers just passed over her and no one gave her much thought, but if everyone could see the Margo he knew, the real Margo… well, he would likely have to step up his evil glares and unspoken threats to keep the guys away from her.

The shouts continued as the song was nearing its end. From what Antonio could tell, Margo was beating him by a few hundred points, but he hadn't expected much else after he allowed himself to be so distracted by the cheers of the crowd. He glanced over at his beloved girlfriend to see that she was still calm and focused on the game, moving as flawlessly as she had been when they began. A smile came to his face as he watched her. She was just so… perfect. He couldn't believe he had once considered her one of his playthings.

With a final move, the song ended and their scores popped up. As expected, Margo was the winner with Antonio trailing closely behind her point wise. The crowd erupted into a mixed reaction of thrilled cheers and disappointed whines. Margo grinned brightly as she looked at her boyfriend with those wide brown eyes that could take his breath away.

"I won!" She seemed astonished at the victory, "I actually beat you, the king of dance!"

"Congratulations, Margo." He chuckled at her reaction, "I am proud to be beaten by such a beautiful and passionate dancer."

"So what now?" He could tell she was running low on stamina by the way she panted slightly between her words.

He took her arm and beamed down at her, "I believe that my special winner deserves any meal of her choice. Whatever you wish to eat, I will deliver it."

The girl couldn't help but blush at his adorable sweetness, "Well-"

"Alright, Glasses! Way to show him whose boss!" A boy called as he approached her and divided her from Antonio, "That was some great dancing up there! You have talent!"

"Thank you." Margo said a tad awkwardly as she began to turn away from him.

"Wait!" He caught her hand. Margo grimaced slightly. His hand was slick and greasy as if he had been devouring pizza just a few moments ago and had not bothered to clean his hand, "Will you dance against me sometime?"

"Possibly." She forced a smile, "I don't usually do that type of thing though. This was a rare occasion."

"Oh," The boy's face became sullen for only a moment before he perked up, "How about I buy you some lunch? Anyone would be hungry after dancing that hard."

"Actually, she's having lunch with me, her boyfriend." Margo didn't get a chance to deny his request as Antonio's voice answered for her. He seemed quite angry at the nameless boy who seemed to be her fan. Was he jealous? Margo grew a natural smile at the thought, but was still confused as to why he would be. After all, it wasn't as if he was flirting with her. He just recognized how hungry she must have been after exerting so much energy and offered to pay for her lunch.

Did that count as flirting?

Judging from Antonio's fuming rage, she had to assume so. A bit of guilt ran through her. Had she accidently given the boy the impression that she was flirting back? Personally, she believed she was shrugging off his friendliness as best as she could with her socially awkward tendencies. She didn't know much about the dating world or flirting or anything of that sort, so her misunderstandings would most likely be thought of as dumb and would happen often, but hopefully she would be able to learn from these mistakes and develop a better defense to any advances that were placed on her.

Immediately, the boy's smile dropped and a look of fear crossed his face, as if he thought Antonio was going to burn him alive, "Oh, sorry, man. I didn't know, I swear. Um, I guess I'll see you both later then. Bye!"

With that, he quickly walked away. Margo could slightly hear him scolding himself for his own stupidity. It brought a frown to her face. She wouldn't call him stupid. In need of a good hand washing and uninformed she could agree with, but not stupid.

Her gaze turned to her Latino boyfriend, who was now composed and smiling at her, but Margo could tell his smile was forced. He was still harboring foul feelings over the misunderstanding. A small smile swept across her face at how sweet he was for being genuinely jealous (it was the first time something like this had happened to her after all), but another thought stopped her from being too happy. Jealousy was a good thing in relationships. It showed he cared (or so she had picked up from books), but that could also mean that he was treating her as a precious object such as a trophy or medal rather than a person he cared for.

"Now what would you like to eat, bella?" His voice had an edge of fake happiness.

Margo sighed and smiled at him, "You know he didn't mean anything, right? He just didn't know that we were together. It's was a simple misunderstanding."

Antonio let loose of his forced smile and frowned, "I know, but I couldn't help it. I've never been jealous before, but he was just so obviously hitting on you, and it wasn't even good flirting. Then again, I suppose it was his weak flirting skills that helped me have the control to give him grace. Had he been skilled, I would have felt much more obliged to punish him."

"Why?" The question seemed to flow from Margo's lips before she could stop it, "It's not like I'm a trophy or something you own. You do trust me not to run off with another guy, right? If anything, I should be the one worrying about you."

A painful shadow of regret crossed Antonio's face and Margo knew she had brought up a fragile subject that they weren't quite ready to deal with yet. She felt like an idiot for even mentioning it, but she knew that even though she had fallen in love with him, there was still a small place in her heart where she kept all of the pain he had caused her. She would always remember it, the sting of her first heartbreak. It was only a little over a week ago, and yet it seemed like years.

But even though she knew it hurt her, she could see it hurt Antonio just as much. His expression of self-disappointment and remorse was not false. He truly regretted hurting her so badly, for leaving her for another girl. He really was trying to make an effort in making it up to her, and he was doing a pretty good job in his opinion, but no amount of lovely dates could make it disappear as if it had never happened. She could forgive him, but she could never forget what he did, and he knew it.

"Margo, I-" He started to say something when she interrupted.

"No, that was stupid of me to say. I'm sorry." She glanced at the black and neon carpet of the arcade, feeling an incredibly awkward atmosphere form around them. Neither knew what to say or do for a number of seconds that grew into long moments, but then it was Antonio who found a way around his lack of words and wrapped his arms around her.

"I was such an idiot in my past, Margo, I admit it," He gave a reluctant sigh as he struggled to find the right thing to say, "but I truly have given up that life. It is only you I see in the sea of girls that surround me. My only worry is that someone will notice how perfect and amazing you are and take you away from me. I can't bear the thought of losing you to another."

She melted into his warm hug, "I would never leave you, Antonio. I promise."

"I believe you, Margo. I know you're not that kind of girl. I truly do not deserve someone as perfect as you." He broke into a large smile and pulled away from her hug to look into her gorgeous eyes.

"I wouldn't say that I'm perfect," Margo grinned at the lightening atmosphere, "and I'm not really mad at you for this. Besides, I'm sure this won't happen often. Guys don't usually make a habit of flirting with me."

"Or perhaps they do and you simply don't notice their subtle advancements?" Antonio flipped his hair to the side with a thoughtful and mischievous look on his face. As a slight blush began to glow on her cheeks, he chuckled, "Don't worry, bella. I am glad you have not noticed what your beauty does to people. It has given me the chance to be the luckiest man alive."

Margo was silent as she tried to will away her blush. Antonio seemed not to mind as he further pressed on teasing her.

"And should I ever get too overbearing with my jealousness, I give you permission to punish me in any way you wish, and I mean any." He winked at the last part, implying something that made Margo's face light up bright red.

"Shut up," She hit his shoulder playfully, "That's not funny."

"Whatever do you mean, bella? I was only stating that you could punish me in the torture of your choice." He pretended to think for a moment and feigned surprise, "Why, Margo, I had no idea you had such a filthy mind!"

She hit him again with a sarcastic response, "You are sooo hilarious, Antonio."

He chuckled at her response before changing the topic, "So what would you like to eat?"

"Well…" Margo's mind drifted to her boyfriend's heavenly cooking skills, but couldn't bear to ask him to do that for her again. The mere thought of being bold enough to ask for a home cooked meal at his mansion was enough to bring more color to her already red face, "I... um… don't know."

Antonio smirked as he looked down at her, "You want me to cook for you, don't you?"

"It doesn't really matter to me." Margo tried to seem indifferent as possible. The last thing she wanted was for him to discover that she was forming a weakness for his food. She had only eaten one meal prepared by him, yet that was more than enough to make her want more. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was an amazing chef, and there was little doubt in her mind that he would use that weakness against her.

"Hmm…" A mischievous grin swept across his face, "I suppose we could have simple take-out then, or a pizza. If it really doesn't matter to you then perhaps-"

"Okay, fine." Margo could feel the heat of her blush as she caved into her craving, but her voice turned into a soft murmur, making her words almost inaudible to the smirking boy.

"What was that, Margo?" He comically cupped a hand around his ear as if to hear her better, "I can't hear you over the sound of your stomach growling."

The girl groaned and placed her hand over face as if it would block out her embarrassment, "I'd like it if you cooked for me again." This time her voice was level, but held a bit of annoyance, something that made Antonio's grin grow wider. It seemed there was nothing he enjoyed more than teasing a blush out of his girlfriend, and he was confident she was trying to hide her blooming red face from him.

"I don't believe I heard a please." He raised an eyebrow and waited for her to lift her head up and show her face to him. There was something so satisfying about playfully annoying her, it was almost more addicting than the sensation he felt when she held his hand…almost.

Her bright red face soon revealed itself as she gave a defeated sigh. Oh _why_ was his cooking so desirable? To think she would actually go through this just for a home cooked meal. At least none of her friends or people from her school were around to see her practically beg for food made by her boyfriend.

"Please…" She cutely tilted her head a bit to the right to add the certain cute pouting effect that Agnes used to get new toys and stay up late. If it worked on Gru, it would surely work on Antonio. She knew he was just teasing her at the moment, and she would get her food one way or another, but the small splashes of red that slowly began to dust his cheeks was worth it for her to go along. Between his sweetness and his teasing, he was always making her unwillingly blush. It was about time she returned the favor, if only a little.

Her technique had definitely caught him guard. The pure sweetness and innocence her pout gave off was enough to bring a slight color to his face. He did his classic hair flip to hide his flusteredness. She was using her own cuteness against him; she had found his largest and most vulnerable weakness, herself. He had to give in to her needs of his home cooked meals before she did something that would make her realize just how much power she unknowingly held over him.

"Very well then. We should be going then." He flashed her a smile before heading to the door, all the while composing himself. He was supposed to be the cool and flirtatious one that could merely smile and make a girl go weak in the knees, not an easily flustered boy who flushed at the slightest sign of affection or endearment from his girlfriend. It was amazing that the effect Margo had on him was so strong. Love truly was a crazy thing.

"Thank you!" A large smile crossed the girl's face as she eagerly grabbed his hand and left the arcade. She couldn't wait to have one of his moth-watering, delicious, meals. Just thinking of it made her stomach growl.

The boy could only nod and give a dumbfounded smile as his face reddened just a bit from her sudden touch, and he could clearly see that her own pink tinge had not faded. He slightly wondered how odd they must look to onlookers; two blushing teens, one an attractive cool guy and the other a sweet looking, nerdish type of girl. Yes, to others, it would seem that common stereotypes and social rules would complicate and get in the way of their relationship.

It was a good thing that neither one of them cared for such silly rules.


End file.
